Attack on underwater data cables ‘would cripple UK’
Think tank warns that links carrying 97pc of our global communications are vulnerable to sabotage
A SUCCESSFUL attack on the undersea communication cables linking Britain to the world could deal a “crippling blow” to the country’s security and economy, a think tank report has warned.
Around 97 per cent of global communications are transmitted through fibre optic cables that are “uniquely vulnerable” to sabotage, according to the Policy Exchange report written by Rishi Sunak, Tory MP for Richmond, North Yorkshire.
The cables form the main arteries of the internet and transmit an estimated £7 trillion in daily financial transactions. Some of the busiest connections cross the Atlantic, coming ashore at remote locations in the UK. But the cables often have “minimal protection” and are at risk from Russian naval activity or terrorism, the report revealed.
It said: “A successful attack would deal a crippling blow to Britain’s security and prosperity. The threat is nothing short of existential. The result would be to damage commerce and disrupt government-to-government communications, potentially leading to economic turmoil and civil disorder.”
US Naval commanders have warned of increasing Russian naval activity along cable routes, raising fears Moscow could be looking for places where the pipelines could be cut or damaged.
The report said that while the greatest threat was from submarine warfare, a successful attack could be carried out by a fishing trawler equipped with deep-sea grappling hooks.
Adml James Stavridis, the former Nato supreme allied commander, wrote in the report’s foreword: “It is not satellites in the sky, but pipes on the ocean floor that form the backbone of the world’s economy. We have allowed this vital infrastructure to grow increasingly vulnerable and this should worry us all.”
Adml Stavridis said the Atlantic was now an area that “Russia is actively contesting through a resurgent naval doctrine”. He said Russia’s weakness compared to Nato may make a conventional conflict unlikely, but “it also raises the appeal for them of asymmetric targets like fibre optic cables”.
Mr Sunak said the cables were the “jugulars of the world economy” and “are a singularly attractive target for our enemies”. Because the the infrastructure is generally owned and installed by private companies, he said “most governments have not given undersea cables enough attention”.
Royal Navy commanders have repeatedly warned in recent years of increased Russian submarine activity in the northern Atlantic. A government spokesman said: “We are continuously working with industry to ensure our sub-sea cable network is secure and have a variety of tools to monitor potentially hostile maritime activity.”