logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2025
17m 28s

The threat to sabotage undersea cables

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Countries considered hostile to the West are threatening to cut under sea cables, which carry 95 percent of the world’s data.

China, Iran and Russia are suspected of threatening to sabotage cables, carrying 95% of the world’s data, which makes the network vital to the global economy.

Russell Padmore examines how the lines laid on ocean floors are the backbone of the internet, so they need to be protected, but international military cooperation is limited.

Produced and presented by Russell Padmore

(Image: An undersea cable between Helsinki and Rostock which was laid in 2015. Credit: Getty Images)

Up next
Yesterday
The impact of 'thirsty' data centres
We're in the US state of Georgia, where huge data centres need water to keep cool. But how is this need for cloud storage and AI capability affecting local residents and the environment?Presenter: Michelle Fleury Producer: Nathalie Jimenez(Image: Georgia resident Beverly Morris l ... Show More
17m 50s
Jul 8
Does university still get you a well-paid job?
Graduates are facing one of the toughest jobs markets in decades. We hear from students in India, the US and UK about whether they feel a university or college degree is worth it as we discuss the cost of attending university around the world and what your job prospects might be ... Show More
17m 27s
Jul 7
Returning to Ukraine?
The UN estimates that nearly seven million Ukrainians have left their home country since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Many have set up businesses in their new country - around 90,000 of those in Poland. We hear about the challenges they’ve faced, and the sectors ... Show More
17m 30s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2024
Pourquoi Internet dépend des fonds marins ?
Contrairement à ce qu'on pourrait penser, le trafic sur Internet dépend très peu de l'espace. Aussi les câbles sous-marin jouent-ils à cet égard un frôle bien plus important que les satellites. La capacité de transport des premiers dépasse en effet largement celle des seconds. En ... Show More
1m 52s
Jun 24
Iran’s digital threat after U.S. strikes.
Cybersecurity warnings about possible Iranian retaliation have surged. A potential act of sabotage disrupts the NATO Summit in The Hague. Canadian cybersecurity officials discover Salt Typhoon breached a major telecom provider. The U.S. House bans WhatsApp from all government dev ... Show More
31m 35s
Jan 2025
U.S. sanctions spark cyber showdown with China.
China criticizes U.S. sanctions. School districts face cyberattacks over the holiday season. The U.N.’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is investigating a potential data breach. Eagerbee malware targets government organizations and ISPs in the Middle East. A majo ... Show More
33m 17s
Nov 2024
Cyber Espionage and Financial Crime: North Korea’s Double Threat
In this episode of Threat Vector, host David Moulton speaks with Assaf Dehan, Director of Threat Research at Palo Alto Networks’ Cortex team, about the rising cyber threat from North Korea. Dehan, a cybersecurity expert with over 18 years of experience, discusses the nation's str ... Show More
33m 28s
Nov 2024
China is an increasing threat in Cyber Security: Cyber Security Today for Monday, November 4, 2024
Chinese Cybersecurity Threats: Espionage in Silicon Valley, Canadian Government Infiltration, and Persistent Botnets In this special edition of Cyber Security Today, host Jim Love discusses three alarming stories illustrating the increasing cybersecurity threats posed by China. T ... Show More
7m 54s
Jul 2024
CrowdStrike and Microsoft battle blue screens across the globe.
Mitigation continues on the global CrowdStrike outage. UK police arrest a suspected member of Scattered Spider. A scathing report from DHS says CISA ignored a directive to cut ties with a faulty contractor. Huntress finds SocGholish distributing AsyncRAT. Ransomware takes down th ... Show More
40m 25s
Mar 2025
Europe vs. Trump: Deterrence or escalation?
This week, Mark Leonard hosts Tobias Gehrke, an ECFR senior policy fellow specialising in geoeconomics and economic security, and José Ignacio Torreblanca, head of ECFR’s Madrid office and expert on tech geopolitics, to explore how Europe can counter a potentially hostile Trump a ... Show More
30m 43s
Feb 2023
Vulnerabilities newly exploited in the wild. A new cyberespionage campaign. Trends in the C2C marketplace. Hacktivists, other auxiliaries, and the laws of armed conflict.
CISA adds three entries to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog. "Hydrochasma" is a new cyberespionage threat actor. IBM claims the biggest effect of cyberattacks in 2022 was extortion. Social network hijacking in the C2C market. A credential theft campaign against data ce ... Show More
28m 45s
Feb 2025
Pay the ransom or risk data carnage.
Qilin ransomware gang claims responsibility for attack against Lee Enterprises. Thai police arrest suspected hacker behind more than 90 data leaks. JavaGhost uses compromised AWS environments to launch phishing campaigns. LotusBlossum cyberespionage campaigns target Southeast Asi ... Show More
31m 19s