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
How US funding cuts are reshaping aid in Africa
How has the development and aid sector in Africa adapted in the 15 months since the Trump administration started closing USAID? Have predictions of mortalities come to pass, and how can the funding gaps be filled? We hear from the people who used to be in charge of multi-billion- ... Show More
23m 27s
Apr 7
Headspace: from mindfulness app to military partner
Headspace started life as a mindfulness app. Now it's partnering with the US Navy and investing in artificial intelligence for mental health support.The company's CEO Tom Pickett speaks to us about therapy, the increasing role of technology, and tackling burnout at scale.If you'd ... Show More
17m 28s
Apr 7
Anthropic: the $300bn AI firm at war with the White House
Anthropic’s rise from startup to one of the world’s leading players in artificial intelligence has been staggering, but so in recent weeks has been its row with the US Government.Today, we look at that journey to becoming a 380 billion dollar company, ask why Claude has become on ... Show More
17m 28s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2025
Can the world rely on its undersea cable network?
Undersea cables form the backbone of global communication, with over 95% of global internet traffic relying on hundreds of fibre-optic cables criss-crossing the globe. But recent incidents such as disruption to cables in the Baltic Sea have highlighted concerns over their securit ... Show More
22m 58s
Aug 2024
Pourquoi Internet dépend des fonds marins ?
<p>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. ... Show More
1m 52s
Jun 2025
Iran’s digital retaliation looms.
US warns of heightened risk of Iranian cyberattacks. Cyber warfare has become central to Israel and Iran’s strategies. Oxford City Council discloses data breach. Europe aiming for digital sovereignty. Michigan hospital network says data belonging to 740,000 was stolen by ransomwa ... Show More
30m 38s
Jun 2025
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
25m 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
27m 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 Dahan, Director of Threat Research at Palo Alto Networks’ Cortex team, about the rising cyber threat from North Korea. Dahan, a cybersecurity expert with over 18 years of experience, discusses the nation's str ... Show More
33m 28s
Sep 2025
Is America Ready for the Age of Cyber Warfare?
<p>In 2024, the U.S. government discovered that Chinese hackers had penetrated a huge swath of the American telecommunications system—and remained there for years. That attack came to be known as Salt Typhoon. China has not only managed to steal the data and surveil the communica ... Show More
54m 53s
Oct 2025
The Internet Under the Sea
What powers the global internet? The answer might surprise you: not satellites, but hundreds of thin cables that run along the ocean floor. They’re an absolutely essential technology that’s also incredibly fragile — so fragile that in the beginning, most people thought they could ... Show More
50m 47s