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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."
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
The death penalty already doesn't work as a deterrent for crimes very likely to be caught with loads of evidence elements like murder. What makes you think that it would work for one far harder to catch?
"When an act of vandalism affects many thousands of people, it's pretty fucking serious."
It depends on how those many thousands are impacted. When biggest impact is not being able to download kitty videos at full speed, no, it is not "terrible". "Annoying" comes to mind, but not "terrible".
"Many people and businesses have their telephone service over the fibre"
Even if we accord at calling this "severe", severily impacting business is, well, "severe" at most, still not "terrible".
Adjective inflation lets you without terms for really big things. If "people may notice slower email or videos not playing, but may not have service completely disrupted" is "a terrible crime" what does this leave to, say, 09/11attacks? "a terrible crime indeed, I really mean it"?
That fiber could very well feed your local DSLAM, providing you your DSL...
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.