It strains credulity
Feb. 6th, 2008 02:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pecuniumOnce happenstance
Twice is co-incidence
Thrice is enemy action.
So, what are we to make of five internet cables cut in the Middle East in the past week.
It started on the 31st of January, and the effect was limted, directly, to the Middle East, and India. Since no small amount of business traffic moves through those cables, it had some ripple.
The more suspicious immediately imputed it to some hostile act; and the U.S. was top of the mark for finger pointing. The main reason people suspected foul play was the lack of outside cause being apparent.
The first suggestions (of a wayward anchor) seem to have been ruled out.
But acciddents happen.
But five?. In a week? All in the same area?
None of which seem to have any apparent cause?
Add the, almost complete lack of coverage (at least in the States) and it looks damned odd. I have no ideas as to who might be doing it (and, if we assume it's one actor, not a number with aims that all require cutting cables in that area, the questions get broader), but I can see reasons why it might be done.
Most likely (IMO) is someone who wants to be able to sniff traffic. Why they needed to break the cables to do that, I don't know (and I don't know enough about the systems to be sure that's a very good guess, but apart from trying to isolate the reagion; which isn't really possible, all that seems to be happening is a great slowdown in traffic, not a blockade, I don't see any reason for this).
Maybe it's just testing a system, making sure it works, so that should cutting some area off completely be needful, it can be done.
Maybe there's a giant squid who hates the cables.
But, whatever it is, I no longer think it's accidental.
Twice is co-incidence
Thrice is enemy action.
So, what are we to make of five internet cables cut in the Middle East in the past week.
It started on the 31st of January, and the effect was limted, directly, to the Middle East, and India. Since no small amount of business traffic moves through those cables, it had some ripple.
The more suspicious immediately imputed it to some hostile act; and the U.S. was top of the mark for finger pointing. The main reason people suspected foul play was the lack of outside cause being apparent.
The first suggestions (of a wayward anchor) seem to have been ruled out.
But acciddents happen.
But five?. In a week? All in the same area?
None of which seem to have any apparent cause?
Add the, almost complete lack of coverage (at least in the States) and it looks damned odd. I have no ideas as to who might be doing it (and, if we assume it's one actor, not a number with aims that all require cutting cables in that area, the questions get broader), but I can see reasons why it might be done.
Most likely (IMO) is someone who wants to be able to sniff traffic. Why they needed to break the cables to do that, I don't know (and I don't know enough about the systems to be sure that's a very good guess, but apart from trying to isolate the reagion; which isn't really possible, all that seems to be happening is a great slowdown in traffic, not a blockade, I don't see any reason for this).
Maybe it's just testing a system, making sure it works, so that should cutting some area off completely be needful, it can be done.
Maybe there's a giant squid who hates the cables.
But, whatever it is, I no longer think it's accidental.
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no subject
Date: 2008-02-07 07:15 am (UTC)Your search - "underwater backhoe operators" - did not match any documents.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-07 07:34 am (UTC)Four cable ‘cuts’ in a week: Conspiracy nuts light up the phones
ZDNet Blogs - 7 hours ago
So what’s going on with telecom cable interruptions in the Middle East? First a ship’s anchor cut into two high-priority cables - Flag Telecom’s Europe-Asia cable and the consortium-owned SEA-ME-WE 4 system.
Conspiracy Theories Behind Those Cut Undersea Cables Wall Street Journal
New Cable Taking New Route After Web Cut The Associated Press
Wired News - CNET News.com - Slashdot - Detroit Free Press
all 272 news articles »
no subject
Date: 2008-02-07 08:26 am (UTC)Like I said, I have no idea who, but at this point I am certain someone.
TK