Why Undersea Fiber Cables Prone To Cyber Attack?

Believe or not, it's easy to tap into any undersea fiber cables. What you need to have is

• Suitable Ship with at least DP2 or DP3 capabilities
• Technical team to undergo physical tapping
• Software and Hardware suitable for tapping

So... to do the Cyber Attack need enough funding. How big is the funding is questionable. At least maybe few million dollars.

Critics in the U.S. government say a new 8,000-mile cable beneath the Pacific Ocean is bait for foreign spies. But advocates counter that these fears are overblown, and the first direct fiber link from the U.S. to Hong Kong is worth it.

The Department of Justice's statement lays out the specifics of its objections. The planned cabling connects the U.S. to Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the Philippines. Much of the cabling will be owned by Google and Facebook, but one partner, the Hong Kong-based Pacific Light Data Co. Ltd., is among the largest telecoms in China.

The DoJ approves of everything but the length of cable that will connect to and terminate in Hong Kong, which China contentiously controls. Officials have said they worry that China’s unsubtle espionage will descend on the cable as a point that can be exploited.

Because of the high speed of the very long cable system, data trying to shortcut around the world could pass through Chinese territory in a way it may not have before. In simple terms, the U.S. government claims it worries that data will be “wiretapped.”

Undersea cables are built to last, either way. The nature of their placement means they must be extremely tough, and these cables have a fiber (or ethernet, telephone, telegraph) core surrounded by staggered layers of thick metal strands for protection. Then the entire assembly is protected by outer layers of rubber or carbon fiber.

Someone determined enough can still snap a cable like this, because the protections are designed for accidental deep-sea contact first and foremost. If the cables are smashed by rocks or improbably run over by ships, they’ll be fine.

For now, a thin social contract holds the network together, as anyone snipping the global internet is hurting themselves, too. But the cable to Hong Kong is seen as an attack surface once the data gets there—not while it’s underwater.