New Threats, Old Technology: Vulnerabilities in Undersea Communication Cable Network Management Systems

Undersea cables are among the most critical technologies supporting today's global data and voice communications. Long-standing physical vulnerabilities to attack persist: cable landing stations, for example, cluster high-value cable systems at single geographic points, but without the physical protections provided to other critical infrastructure such as telecommunication data centers. With an increasing number of cable operators using remotely-controlled network management systems, operators have introduced additional risk of large-scale cyber attacks, adding new urgency to securing all potential points of compromise, both the physical sites and well as the logical infrastructure. While individually governments and industries have taken some steps to address such matters, much work remains. Collaboration on fortifying security with new regulatory and voluntary action, working through existing bodies such as Team Telecom under the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, and the International Cable Protection Committee, should accelerate.