Security News > 2023 > September > Hidden dangers loom for subsea cables, the invisible infrastructure of the internet

More than 97% of the world's internet traffic passes through subsea cables at some point, according to ENISA. Subsea cables are a vital component of the global internet infrastructure, and it is critical to protect them from cyberattacks, physical attacks and other threats.

The cable landing stations as well as subsea areas, where many cables are close to each other are considered weak points.

Repairing subsea cables is complex, takes a long time, and requires highly specialised cable repair ships, only few in the world.

Challenges for subsea cable resilience Accidental, unintentional damage through fishing or anchoring has so far been the cause of most subsea cable incidents.

At a national level, the mandate and supervision over the subsea cables should be clarified, to ensure that the cables and landing points are protected, and that chokepoints are avoided.

National authorities should exchange good practices about subsea cable protection, involving also authorities for the energy sector, who have experience with protection of subsea power cables, as well as authorities under the Critical Entities Resilience Directive, whose experience with physical protection of critical infrastructure could be insightful.

News URL

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/09/21/subsea-cable-resilience/