Submarine communication cables are a growing target for cyber-threat actors, with incidents capable of causing huge global internet disruption, a new report has found.
Recorded Future said that recent geopolitical developments, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict, China’s coercive actions towards Taiwan and growing tensions between the US and China, “will very likely be key drivers of the near-term risk environment.”
The researchers believe these cables will be targets for sabotage and even espionage attacks amid escalating tensions between nation-states. For example, the report highlighted that two submarine cables connecting Taiwan with the outlying island of Matsu were cut by Chinese civilian ships, likely intentionally, within six days of each other in February 2023.
In June 2023, close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Dimitry Medvedev, declared that Russia should have a free hand to destroy its enemies undersea communication cables.
An estimated 99% of intercontinental internet traffic and data and voice communication is transmitted through fiber-optic submarine cables laid along the ocean floor, facilitating over $10trn worth of financial transactions daily. They are also used to carry sensitive government communications, such as supporting overseas military operations.
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