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Thread: Fifth Undersea Cable Cut

  1. #1
    Senior Member phernandez's Avatar
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    Fifth Undersea Cable Cut

    OK, now this is getting scary. Even one of my favorite security watchers, Bruce Schneier, weighs in [via /.]:

    http://www.schneier.com/blog/archive..._undersea.html

    The comments on both those sites are something to behold. Every theory, from underwater seismic activity to deliberate geopolitical nastiness is being entertained...

    What do you think?

  2. #2
    Senior Member nihil's Avatar
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    Well,

    I would rule out seismic activity as that is pretty well monitored globally along with even more sensitive stuff to monitor weapons testing.

    I have an alternative theory other than those mentioned.................

    Sharks! yes, they are known to attack underwater cables (for at least the past 20 years!), possibly as a defensive or annoyance jesture, pure curiosity, or mistaking them for food.

    A computer risk management viewpoint:

    http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/Risks/5.02.html

    US patent for underwater cable shark protector (1987):

    http://www.freepatentsonline.com/4815896.html

    Marine biology paper in electrosensory characteristics of sharks:

    http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/content/full/205/23/3609

    Shark feeding habits:

    http://www.ocean-life.info/What_do_Sharks_Eat.html

    Check out cookiecutter sharks in particular.......... they even try to eat submarines!!!!

    Internet growth makes for more cables, so a greater probability of this happening.

  3. #3
    Senior Member phernandez's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by nihil

    Sharks! yes, they are known to attack underwater cables (for at least the past 20 years!), possibly as a defensive or annoyance jesture, pure curiosity, or mistaking them for food.
    Sharks... with lasers? *Pets hairless, wrinkly cat...*

  4. #4
    Priapistic Monk KorpDeath's Avatar
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    Hey phernandez, I want a refund of the time I just spent reading those horribly inane posts on schneier.com. I'll take beer or hookers, your pick. I'll send over my address later.. LOL

    As for sharks feeding on those cables, as possible as that is, I would hope that those cable companies would've learned how to protect their cables from shark teeth. Duh!

    I'll wait for the repair crews to blame the U.S. for it. I mean everything is Bush's fault someway, ya nkow? Precursor to war, blech.
    Mankind have a great aversion to intellectual labor; but even supposing knowledge to be easily attainable, more people would be content to be ignorant than would take even a little trouble to acquire it.
    - Samuel Johnson

  5. #5
    Senior Member nihil's Avatar
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    As for sharks feeding on those cables, as possible as that is, I would hope that those cable companies would've learned how to protect their cables from shark teeth. Duh!
    Well it is still being researched, as we never had the problem with the old copper wire cables. This is purely a fibre optic cable phenomenon, and we don't know why.

    Sure they could armour the stuff better, but that would increase costs considerably.

  6. #6
    Senior Member IKnowNot's Avatar
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    Sure they could armour the stuff better, but that would increase costs considerably.
    vs. what it cost to repair: .... hum, let me see ....
    " And maddest of all, to see life as it is and not as it should be" --Miguel Cervantes

  7. #7
    Senior Member nihil's Avatar
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    They talk in terms of $250,000 (USD) per "bite"

    These cables can be thousands of kilometers long and a typical cable laying ship has a capacity of 5,000 Km.

    Armour it to double the thickness and you will probably also double the manufacturing cost and halve the cable laying capacity which would double the cost of that.

    At the moment they are financing marine biological research to try to find out what attracts sharks to this type of cable.

  8. #8
    Disgruntled Postal Worker fourdc's Avatar
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    The sharks are using it as dental floss! LOL
    ddddc

    "Somehow saying I told you so just doesn't cover it" Will Smith in I, Robot

  9. #9
    AO Curmudgeon rcgreen's Avatar
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    It's Raghead Luddites! Everybody knows that this "internet" thing is full
    of infidel propaganda and nude pics of Britney Spears.
    I came in to the world with nothing. I still have most of it.

  10. #10
    Senior Member nihil's Avatar
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    Hmmm rcg~ I hadn't considered the possibility of terrorist suicide sharks until now

    So I conducted some more research and found the truth!.............. complete with irrefutable photographic evidence!

    http://sharkdivers.blogspot.com/2008...ry-solved.html

    However, we still have what phernandez said:

    Sharks... with lasers? *Pets hairless, wrinkly cat...*
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by nihil; February 8th, 2008 at 01:18 AM.

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