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It can be a test of the response. If you have a plan to sever every major fibre link into and out of some country then the only way to rest the effectiveness o
by jiggawatts 2y ago
It can be a test of the response.
If you have a plan to sever every major fibre link into and out of some country then the only way to rest the effectiveness of your plan is to sever just a couple and see what happens.
The Cold War equivalent is to fly up to the border and see how the enemy fighters intercept your bombers.
Alternately it’s “making a concrete statement” in response to a thinly veiled threat.
E.g.: if a western government threatens to cut Russia off from the Internet they can cut a fibre to two to make a point that the west is just as vulnerable.
- jemmyw 2y agoThe problem with seeing it as a test of response is that the test changes future responses. Where previously it might have been possible to do a surprise attack on cables, govts will now (hopefully) be looking at ships maneuvering near by with more suspicion.
- jiggawatts 2y agoThe problem is that in some areas there are both cables and ships in such a high concentration that it's impossible to police. Generally undersea cables "land" at major port cities because that's where it is convenient and also that's where the data centres are.