3 ms·

If your underwater fibre goes down for 10 minutes would international espionage really be the first thing that comes to mind?

• aw3c2 14y ago
  If it comes back, then yes. I don't think fiber can have a "loose connection". It either works or it does not.
  • jrockway 14y ago
    That may be true of the fiber, but it's not true of the network equipment driving the fiber. Like all computers, these occasionally need hardware or software upgrades too.
    • rdl 14y ago
      You could also arrange for your subsea tapping to be at the same time as an attack (IP or electrical) on the shore station, if you really want it to be difficult to detect. Or do a real cut in one place (with a trawler), while tapping at another place. And possibly cut 5 cables at the same time... Anyone with real security requirements assumes long-haul cables and the general Internet are monitored. Point to point crypto on links is one of the easier problems to solve. (the harder problem is doing something once you've tapped -- you either need to build a multi-wave analysis box and low-bitrate exfiltration solution over an IRU you've purchased, or run your own big cable to the tap location. Much easier to tap at the cable landing site.)