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San Francisco Fiber Optic Cable Cutter Strikes Again
HughPickens.com writes: USA Today reports that the FBI is investigating at least 11 physical attacks on high-capacity Internet cables in California's San Francisco Bay Area dating back to at least July 6, 2014, including one early this week. "When it affects multiple companies and cities, it does become disturbing," says Special Agent Greg Wuthrich. "We definitely need the public's assistance." The pattern of attacks raises serious questions about the glaring vulnerability of critical Internet infrastructure, says JJ Thompson. "When it's situations that are scattered all in one geography, that raises the possibility that they are testing out capabilities, response times and impact," says Thompson. "That is a security person's nightmare."
Mark Peterson, a spokesman for Internet provider Wave Broadband, says an unspecified number of Sacramento-area customers were knocked offline by the latest attack. Peterson characterized the Tuesday attack as "coordinated" and said the company was working with Level 3 and Zayo to restore service. It's possible the vandals were dressed as telecommunications workers to avoid arousing suspicion, say FBI officials. Backup systems help cushion consumers from the worst of the attacks, meaning people may notice slower email or videos not playing, but may not have service completely disrupted. But repairs are costly and penalties are not stiff enough to deter would-be vandals. "There are flags and signs indicating to somebody who wants to do damage: This is where it is folks," says Richard Doherty. "It's a terrible social crime that affects thousands and millions of people."
Mark Peterson, a spokesman for Internet provider Wave Broadband, says an unspecified number of Sacramento-area customers were knocked offline by the latest attack. Peterson characterized the Tuesday attack as "coordinated" and said the company was working with Level 3 and Zayo to restore service. It's possible the vandals were dressed as telecommunications workers to avoid arousing suspicion, say FBI officials. Backup systems help cushion consumers from the worst of the attacks, meaning people may notice slower email or videos not playing, but may not have service completely disrupted. But repairs are costly and penalties are not stiff enough to deter would-be vandals. "There are flags and signs indicating to somebody who wants to do damage: This is where it is folks," says Richard Doherty. "It's a terrible social crime that affects thousands and millions of people."
Call the Cable Guy. He needs a friend anyway.
At a large scale, the internet was designed to route around individual problems such as this.
Can't this same principle be applied on a smaller scale?
Slashdot social media options: AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, Jabber and Mobile Text. Why no MySpace?
Don't trust the feds one bit. Especially when they say "The pattern of attacks raises serious questions about the glaring vulnerability of critical Internet infrastructure". In other words they want more funding and more control over backbones. These saboteurs will never be caught.
Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
junkies might similarly claim that taking away their heroin is a dangerous social crime.
"A terrible social crime". Sounds like he's mad because his wife couldn't read Facebook.
John
Yes, because the problem here isn't that fiber runs and hubs across the nation are virtually without security and basic protections to save the telecoms costs (a padlock never stopped anyone) ...it's that we aren't giving out enough felony charges when we catch vandals.
The fiber providers and tier 1 companies dont care, thats why its so easy to have these disruptions. As long as they can point the finger at someone else for outages, theyre happy to run their infrastructure as cheap and naked as humanly possible.
You could understand the railroad companies not sabotaging pipelines because the railroads too have long equally vulnerable railroads and they did not want to trigger retaliatory sabotage from Rockefeller. But his disgruntled bankrupt oil competitors, the labor they would not be above sabotage. It was really war. Carnegie hired the Pinkertons to kill agitating workers. His henchman was shot, and survived, by one of the workers. Corrupt sheriffs would break up labor organizers and the anger and hatred was mutual and ran very deep.
Still, mile after mile of tin pipes traversing and crisscrossing Ohio, Western PA and later Indiana were left unmolested. How was that defended? How could one defend the fiber optic lines?
sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
the FBI might also be investigating thieves seeking copper.
Go figure.
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.
Ernest Hemingway
"When it's situations that are scattered all in one geography, that raises the possibility that they are testing out capabilities, response times and impact," says Thompson. "That is a security person's nightmare."
I call BS. This sort of thing is a security person's bread and butter. Why must they make everything sound like a catastrophe that leaves all the experts befuddled? Oh right... To promote laws that further eliminate the concept of privacy and freedom in exchange for the feeling of additional security...
Best guess on who it is ?
Somebody that lost their job in IT because they were too old, didn't fit the diversity quota, or just had a SOB for a boss
Someone who is sick of trying to pay rent in SF ?
Criminal extortion scheme we haven't heard the details of yet ?
This one I don't get. Other than maybe militant Amish people, who wants to kill the Internet in their own city? Wouldn't that just be hurting yourself?
We need to immediately install 10,000 fake buried cable signs at scattered locations, and remove the real ones...
the death penalty is still needed. These acts aren't being done by some random, clueless junkie trying to sell copper to get their fix. The number and location shows someone, or someones, are deliberately cutting the fiber whether because they're t'rrists (unlikely), general vandals (possible) or some neo-luddite who thinks it's fun to screw around (possible).
As the article relates, the penalties aren't severe enough. Well guess what is. . .
We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
It is possible they are dressed up as Telco workers, but given their knowledge of the fiber lines, they couldn't possibly BE Telco workers...
while(1) attack(People.Sandy);
"thousands and millions of people."
Make up your mind.
Which is it.
Thousands or Millions?
Why not throw Hundreds and Billions into that sentence.
Might as well exaggerate all the way and confuse.
Maybe it's the MPAA and RIAA latest attempt to stop people sharing copywritten material on the internet? Didn't they say they want to cut pirates off?
Take Nobody's Word For It.
If the courts hadn't moved to declare hard labor "cruel and unusual" then it would be non issue. About six months of hard labor would be scarier to most low level offenders than five years in prison. Heck, in the South we could really amp it up just making them do chain gang duty with no bug repellant in the middle of the summer.
I have a problem with calling this kind of coordinated events vandalism. I doubt highly that vandals would dress up like communication employee's and proceed to cut fiber optic cables and know how and where to do this. Besides this kind of act would be more sinister then monetary gain. Because this is a ongoing issue in multiple areas I would say you have a series of practice runs for a bigger attack of our internet system. Or you have a sophisticated group bent on causing major problems because they have a serious grudge about the internet. In either case this is way more then vandalism.
A couple years ago, there were a series of fiber cuts in Humboldt County (300 mi. north of SF). They only targeted fiber owned by Suddenlink. The authorities suspected a telecom professional. A reward was offered, but they never caught the person. The cuts stopped after a couple months.
When our local fiber run was cut through here, it ended up being ignorant copper thieves.
I did it all for the penguins!
who feels he has been wronged. This is how he gets back at the man. In a country with a degrading culture and society like the United States, and with an increase of government violating civilians, this sort of thing will become more and more common.
As someone who has a fiber line running in front of their house (literally, there's a "Do Not Dig Here, Fiber" post at the bottom of my driveway), but has access to only DSL, I can't say it isn't tempting.
Pay me $100,000 in cash or your cables will get cut on random occassions...
Yes, that would be the primary indicator of trouble. *sigh*
The FBI and NSA would know exactly who these people were, were they not spending all of their efforts keeping track of what I had for breakfast every morning and how many times I go to the ATM for cash.
Fuck them.
I live in what might be considered a rural area by some but I am 5 miles from my state capitol. There are underground fiber lines going down the main highway and fiber up my road to about 100 yards from me.. I actually walked down and watched them snake it under a road with a pneumatic torpedo.. cant get it.. the guys who install cable are Russian Illegals hired by a third party contractor for Verizon .. I talked with them for a while .. If our country ever gets attacked a few well placed people in these third party contractor companies that don't get checked will be able to take out our whole country in hours. They will know every weak point.
You left out Aliens. Cue the Greek guy with the Electric Hair.
I'm not surprised by this. People are extremely angry at Government forcing things down people's throats, and at corporations for doing the same. Level 3 is one of the biggest offenders of internet throttling, so I have to wonder if the people behind the damage were pissed at Level 3.
Ever wonder why your internet is so slow? Run a tracert and see how many of the hops take you through level 3 or a bunch of other networks. There is not enough competition on broadband providers, and they simply reroute traffic over somebody elses network in order to slow it down becuase it only goes as fast as the slowest link.
On top of it all is vast amounts of censorship that is not supposed to exist in a free country. I'm glad the people behind it have not resorted to violence, but to you providers out there, you need to take a hard look at what YOU are doing to piss people off, because it's likely to expand. Although, they should be a little more inventive than just cutting some cables.
Most likely a disgruntled field tech or contractor who likes making people miserable or a field crew who wants to make significant overtime.
Flamebait
Serious inquiries only.
NSA needs a few hours of downtime to install their NARUS deep packet inspection gear
Yep could easily see that.
penalties are not stiff enough to deter would-be vandals.
Yeah cutting cables is a bad thing, but these days I get nervous when I see that sort of talk because it's never as simple as increasing penalties for vandals, something else always gets added.
"There are flags and signs indicating to somebody who wants to do damage: This is where it is folks," says Richard Doherty. "It's a terrible social crime that affects thousands and millions of people."
I mean who talks like this? It sounds like someone that didn't rehearse their script enough.
thousands and millions of people indeed.
"If any question why we died, Tell them because our fathers lied."
I am talking about the FBI : "When it affects multiple companies and cities, it does become disturbing,"
What I read is "When it happens to citizens, we don't care."
So apperently they cut of the wrong company or the wrong CEO and now they are disturbed. Before that? Meh.
Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
Have gnu, will travel.
There was a large Time Warner outage a week or two back... it was blamed on a fiber cut in DC (that fed this area). Makes me wonder if it's just a coincidence...
Agile Artisans
Ever notice how much that guy resembles Londo Mollari, ambassador for the Centauri Republic?
It's no coincidence, I tell you.
Where I live all those cables (as well as electricity and whatnot) have been dug into the earth.
See subject & LMAO @ U, boy -> http://slashdot.org/comments.p...
FACT: "AlmostALLAdsBlocked+" is INFERIOR vs. hosts - hugely so!
AB+ doesn't even DO what it's supposed to fully anymore being BRIBED http://finance.yahoo.com/news/... not to!
AB+ doesn't do a FRACTION of what hosts do for more speed, security, reliability, + anonymity online!
AB+ EATS 128mb of RAM (vs. hosts @ 11 *maybe* tops via my program with CURRENT data, the important kind vs. current threats + ads) http://cdn.ghacks.net/wp-conte...
AB+ adds messagepassing overheads!
AB+ operates in SLOWER usermode (vs. hosts in PnP kernelmode)
AB+ creates huge CPU consumption!
AB+ is also detectable by clarityray (via native browser methods) nullifying it (not hosts).
---
I use what you already have that works & does more with LESS, no less - you by way of comparison? Pile on "MoAr" that doesn't do as nearly as much & what it's supposed to do, massively inefficiently no less (see above)?
Ab+ NO LONGER DOES!
* AFTER ALL THAT?
AB+ = "better", Coren22?? LMAO - NO f'ing way!
If you say it is, you are *TRULY* stupid & I'd reply saying "argue with the numbers" & facts above, from reputable sources & analysis proving my points for me!
APK
P.S.=> Gonna go "cry in your cereal" now, boy?
(You ought to for being STUPID enough to use OR SUGGEST a blatantly INFERIOR solution! See above - it's fact & truth via reputable sources)... apk
I've always thought that the punishment should be a combination of seriousness and how many people are affected. Then I think of the shoe bomber. Now every person getting on a plane in the US has to take off their shoes. Small amount of "damage" per person but wow did it impact a lot of people. Total passengers are ~800 million a year for the US. At 15 seconds per passenger and a life expectancy of ~80 years that is roughly 5 lifetimes wasted a year due to this guy. Since travelers continue to be impacted year after year I can only conclude that they probably couldn't torture him enough to ever break even on his damage.
Shame they didn't cut this AC's cable...
I stole this Sig
Wah our rent is going up because of bad decisions by the housing commission, lets blame people that have good jobs in tech and force them out by destroying the internet connectivity in the city.
Speaking of crackpots...
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Possibly because the Pinkertons would come in and beat/shoot people? Or, weren't these pipes generally running through private land. A simple tactic would be to align interests. The landowner only gets paid for days when the oil flows. Then the landowner would keep an eye out.
Regarding the railroads, people with miles and miles of unprotected rail lines tend not to engage in industrial sabotage. They are just as vulnerable to such things.
sea otters...
Or maybe someone who wanted a breather:
The shift workers howled and laughed and were pelted, and broke ranks, and the jelly beans managed to work their way into the mechanism of the slidewalks after which there was a hideous scraping as the sound of a million fingernails rasped down a quarter of a million blackboards, followed by a coughing and a sputtering, and then the slidewalks all stopped and everyone was dumped thisawayandthataway in a jackstraw tumble, and still laughing and popping little jelly bean eggs of childish color into their mouths. It was a holiday, and a jollity, an absolute insanity, a giggle. But . ..
The shift was delayed seven minutes.
They did not get home for seven minutes.
The master schedule was thrown off by seven minutes.
Quotas were delayed by inoperative slidewalks for seven minutes.
From 'Repent, Harlequin! Said the Ticktockman', Harlan Ellison.
This is San Fran - surely it must be a hippie wanting all those silicon valley weenies to get back to nature.
99% chance it's one of the anti-gentrification nutbag hippies doing this.
Long-distance electrodes shot into the pinion pituitary glands of recent dead.
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
There's no need to be racist about it.
See subject + "Rinse, Lather, & Repeat" -> http://slashdot.org/comments.p...
* Keep "running" & evading fair questions Coren22 (yes, I know it's you replying by ac posts now too... lol!)
APK
P.S.=> Curious - how many "sockpuppet" fake accounts are you using to downmod my posts? apk
See subject: I'm not evading fair questions like you http://slashdot.org/comments.p... there (lmao)...
* What's even more pitiful on YOUR part?
You replying ac now pitifully attempting to "defend" yourself (pitifully transparent that).
APK
P.S.=> You're constantly evading answering simple questions I put to you making YOU you the biggest laughingstock there is that can't backup his bs - & THAT, is TRULY, that... lol!
... apk
Check response time?
I'd rather think that one crew cuts the cable at some place and during that time a second crew installs a listening/delay device in a secondary location, that will be finished before the first cut can be repaired.
See subject, "Run, Forrest: RUN!!!" - Can ab+ do 16 things hosts do for speed, security, & reliability:
1.) Protect vs. malicious sites/servers (past ads)
2.) Protect vs. fastflux botnets + stops C&C communique
3.) Protect vs. dynamic dns botnets + stops C&C communique
4.) Protect vs. DGA botnets + stops C&C communique
5.) Protect vs. downed DNS (adds reliability)
6.) Protect vs. DNS redirect poisoned dns
7.) Protect vs. trackers
8.) Protect vs. spam
9.) Protect vs. phish
10.) Protect vs. caps
11.) Get you past a dnsbl
12.) Keep you off dns request logs
13.) Speed up surfing by adblocks & hardcoded fav. sites
14.) Work on anything webbound (ie email programs) multiplatform.
15.) Give you easily controlled data
16.) Do all that & block ads more efficiently in cpu + memory usage vs. addons
* ANSWER ="NO" to each on ab+ doing it or as well + hosts = already on every device natively.
APK
P.S.=> Ab+ does less than hosts & less efficiently - hosts do MORE w/ less + Hosts start w/ the IP stack before REDUNDANT inefficient addons BEGIN to operate (as 1st resolver queried):
Ab+'s 128mb memory inefficiency -> http://cdn.ghacks.net/wp-conte... (hosts consume 3-11mb using my program initially).
+
ClarityRay defeats it dumping addons in use in a browser via native browser methods to do so!
+
Ab+'s paid to not do its job http://finance.yahoo.com/news/...
Ab+ adds complexity + slower mode of operations (usermode = more messagepassing overheads vs. hosts in kernelmode).
What's best?
APK Hosts File Engine 9.0++ SR-2 32/64-bit -> http://start64.com/index.php?o...
MalwareBytes' hpHosts Admin (MalwareBytes employee) hosts & recommends it -> http://hosts-file.net/?s=Downl... & MalwareBytes = BEST antivirus http://www.av-test.org/en/news...
&
It's GUARANTEED safe & clean per it being checked by 57 antivirus programs recently in BOTH its 64-bit model https://www.virustotal.com/en/...
+
In its 32-bit model also https://www.virustotal.com/en/...
... apk
See subject & LMAO @ U, boy -> http://slashdot.org/comments.p...
FACT: "AlmostALLAdsBlocked+" is INFERIOR vs. hosts - hugely so!
AB+ doesn't even DO what it's supposed to fully anymore being BRIBED http://finance.yahoo.com/news/... not to!
AB+ doesn't do a FRACTION of what hosts do for more speed, security, reliability, + anonymity online!
AB+ EATS 128mb of RAM (vs. hosts @ 11 *maybe* tops via my program with CURRENT data, the important kind vs. current threats + ads) http://cdn.ghacks.net/wp-conte...
AB+ adds messagepassing overheads!
AB+ operates in SLOWER usermode (vs. hosts in PnP kernelmode)
AB+ creates huge CPU consumption!
AB+ is also detectable by clarityray (via native browser methods) nullifying it (not hosts).
---
I use what you already have that works & does more with LESS, no less - you by way of comparison? Pile on "MoAr" that doesn't do as nearly as much & what it's supposed to do, massively inefficiently no less (see above)?
Ab+ NO LONGER DOES!
* AFTER ALL THAT?
AB+ = "better", Coren22?? LMAO - NO f'ing way!
If you say it is, you are *TRULY* stupid & I'd reply saying "argue with the numbers" & facts above, from reputable sources & analysis proving my points for me!
APK
P.S.=> Gonna go "cry in your cereal" now, boy?
(You ought to for being STUPID enough to use OR SUGGEST a blatantly INFERIOR solution! See above - it's fact & truth via reputable sources)... apk
The cutting process must take some time as the bundle is large and armored.
The photodetectors receiving the light on each end of the fibers should be able to detect disturbances associated with the fiber being cut AS IT IS CUT. (If you physically disturb the fiber it affects the transmission efficiency.)
With the appropriate automated analysis (time-delay reflectometry), police could be requested to deploy to the vandals' location before they have even finished cutting through the bundle.
Alternatively, DHS' secret drones could have missiles on that spot in seconds. (I'm joking... or am I.)
Just saying...
Contract telecom workers who rake in the overtime. Eventually you might see a series of evenly spaced cuts on long runs that are calculated so there is too much light loss, entire cable sections need replacement.
The NSA, who is building out a massive dark fiber intercept network to shunt traffic to Utah and is using the outages as 'cover' as they install separate, secret drop-ins.
Those who hate our freedoms. You know, those folks who keep ranting about those folks who hate our freedoms, and how you have to break eggs to make an omelet, and hey it's been a long time since we invaded another new country.
Book Publishers and People who do know how to use the Internet. I should have listed them first. We must track down these people and watch them closely.
The Amish Mafia and Inner Circle. Slowing the encroachment of microchips at home and abroad. You do not want to mess with these people.
Starbucks. What do repair crews drink the most? Slam dunk! Well... oops, wait. We're talking about the global corporate giant that has built the world's largest IT single point of failure. This is either the cleverest, most insidious plot ever, perfect cover... or the dumbest.
Lawyers and Insurance Companies. In general, and it's our own damned fault.
Until things are so bad that a mob of concerned citizens gathers on the spur of the moment to surround, interrogate and hold telecom crews until they are vetted (or) swift and lethal vigilante justice is delivered... we cannot reasonably expect the world to suck less as time goes by.
Trademarks used herein are sole property of their respective dark fantasies.
<blink>down the rabbit hole</blink>
Dave420's "pot calling kettles black hypocrite finest" http://slashdot.org/comments.p...
APK
P.S.=> I notice none of my posts showing your TRUE MOTIVATIONS as a webmaster that doesn't want his ads blocked that I post to "give you a dose of your own medicine" & to expose your b.s. too in the same stroke (2 for the price of 1) @ stalking & harassing me get downmodded dave420 (you & your sockpuppets must've "run dry" of modpoints eh? Yes, lol!)!
Yes - seeing as you're SO well loved around this site too -> http://slashdot.org/comments.p...
&
"Lo & behold", here too http://slashdot.org/comments.p...
That's what people here think of YOU, Mr. webmaster that hates hosts files since they're far better than bribed slower far less efficient browser addons that do tons less than hosts too... apk
"I just reply to you when I see you spamming Slashdot with your nonsense"- by dave420 (699308) on Friday June 19, 2015 @10:31AM (#49945047)
Why'd you agree w/ my points on hosts then? Quoting you:
"I'm not denying all those things" - by dave420 (699308) on Wednesday September 17, 2014 @11:39AM (#47927435) FROM -> http://yro.slashdot.org/commen...
Of course not: It's impossible to dispute HOSTS FILES superiority to other methods!
Since my points in favor of hosts SINGLE FILE native kernelmode faster part show hosts doing more w/ less vs. so-called 'competitors' many part messagepassing + cpu/ram use overheads laden slower usermode FAR MORE COMPLEX 'solutions' doing less than hosts do for more security, speed, reliability, + anonymity!
I make creating a superior more efficient solution EASIER!
(That's more than a mere trolling stalking harassing "ne'er-do-well" like yourself could *EVER* manage).
---
"I'm simply pointing out that it takes an AdBlocker to block your spamming"- by dave420 (699308) on Friday June 19, 2015 @10:31AM (#49945047)
I bother you? Then WHY DON'T YOU DO IT & use 'em? Answer that!
(You stalk/harass me instead!)
OBVIOUSLY you don't & you're a "ne'er-do-well" troll & you have "other motivations" (next):
---
* QUESTION:
DO YOU WORK FOR AN ADVERTISING FIRM, or ARE YOU A WEBMASTER/WEBCODER http://slashdot.org/comments.p... , or a MALWARE MAKER, or ARE YOU AFFILIATED WITH 1 OF MY COMPETITORS?
Answer it!
As per your usual you'll avoid every question, or lie & You've been EXPOSED in your "motives" in the last link just above, lol!
APK
P.S.=> See Dave420 the "pot puffing clown" SQUIRM - evasions galore will ensue (as well as effete downmods via sockpuppets to *try* vainly "hide it" -> http://slashdot.org/comments.p... )... apk
We can always hope.