Jul 06, 2015

The FBI has launched an investigation into attacks on the fiber optics networks in the western portion of the United States. In the past year, according to USA Today, at least 11 physical attacks of high-capacity Internet cables in the San Francisco Bay Area have taken place, enough to warrant attention from high-level law enforcement. In the latest attack, which took place June 30, someone broke into an underground vault and severed three fiber-optic cables from Colorado-based service providers Level 3 and Zayo, resulting in network outages.

According to The Washington Post contributor Will Greenberg, attacks like these draw attention to a key flaw of the Internet. We have become dependent on being able to connect to the Web for everything related to work or leisure, and the physical security of Internet cables is something that we tend to take for granted. In a physical attack on the fiber optic cables, malicious parties have the power to take out Wi-Fi networks and leave businesses without connectivity.

“You often have fiber from several companies sometimes going down the same street or the same trench,” Richard Doherty, research director of The Envisioneering Group, told USA Today. “One attacker can dig one hole and wipe out service from three companies.”

This presents serious vulnerability to homes and organizations that could be adversely affected by Internet outages. Especially in the San Francisco Bay Area, where so many companies are based around technology, Internet outages can cause huge issues.

Ramp up security by rethinking your wireless surveillance strategy
Individuals and businesses aren’t the only ones that are potentially affected by these kinds of events. Security systems that rely on Wi-Fi are also in danger because they remain vulnerable to being physically cut. Attacks on the Internet itself, like the ones experienced over the past year in the San Francisco Bay Area, highlight the importance of making sure networks stay online and maintain the highest level of surveillance possible.

Building a wireless network that doesn’t rely on ​physical cables can be crucial in these situations.  Wireless mesh networks can help security systems stay online when fiber cables fail. Unlike traditionally connected networks that share a limited amount of bandwidth, Firetide’s mesh networks provide instant connectivity that wouldn’t be disconnected in the event of a physical severing of fiber-optic cables.

To learn more about how wireless mesh networks can help strengthen your surveillance efforts and prevent outage due to these kinds of crimes, contact Firetide today.