[conspire] Someone doesn't like the Bay Area's fiber optic cables

[Ross Bernheim]

Rick,

This highlights the lack of even minimal security measures for most of our 
essential infrastructure. We need to put this in a broader look at infrastructure
vulnerability. 

Locally there was the attack on a PG&E substation with rifles that
took out a number of high voltage transformers.

We know that our control electronics used for many infrastructure and 
industrial controls are vulnerable. The ubiquity of these let us target 
Iran’s uranium enrichment centrifuges. Could someone easily target
our infrastructure?

Now we are rushing to the Internet Of Things without paying enough
attention to security.

When was the last time you saw people really paying attention to 
security? The number of unpatched Windows, Mac and Linux systems
bear witness to our lack concern.

While the government pays lip service to security, the recent OPM 
security breaches show how little effort is really paid to security. With
this as an example, is it any wonder that security gets such short 
shrift?

Ross



> On Jul 1, 2015, at 11:37 PM, Rick Moen <rick at linuxmafia.com> wrote:
> 
> http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/06/30/california-internet-outage/29521335/
> 
>  The FBI is investigating at least 11 physical attacks on high-capacity
>  Internet cables in California's San Francisco Bay Area dating back a
>  year, including one early Tuesday morning. [...]
> 
>  FBI agents declined to specify how significantly the attack affected
>  customers, citing the ongoing investigation. In Tuesday's attack,
>  someone broke into an underground vault and cut three fiber-optic cables
>  belonging to Colorado-based service providers Level 3 and Zayo. [...]
> 
> Zayo is what used to be called Above.net, a major player.
> 
>  In April 2009, underground fiber-optic cables in California were cut
>  at four sites, knocking out landlines, cell phones and Internet service
>  for tens of thousands in Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and San Benito
>  counties. [...]
> 
> Interesting, eh?  I remember the 2009 incident.  The site where that
> occurred was a vault with very little monitoring -- which has now been
> remedied.
> 
> 
> 
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