Editing Submarine communications cable (section)

==== Cyber espionage and Intelligence-gathering ====
The rising sophistication of cyberattacks underscores the vulnerability of submarine cables to [[cyberespionage]], ultimately complicating their security. Techniques like [[Wiretapping|cable tapping]], hacking into network management systems, and targeting [[Cable landing point|cable landing stations]] enable covert data access by intelligence agencies, with Russia, the U.S., and the United Kingdom (U.K.) noted as primary players.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":14" />

These activities are driven by both strategic and economic motives, with advancements in technology making interception and data manipulation more effective and difficult to detect.<ref name=":1" /> Recent technological advancements increasing the vulnerability include the use of remote access portals and remote network management systems centralizing control over components, enabling attackers to monitor traffic and potentially disrupt data flows.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":15" />

[[List of intelligence gathering disciplines|Intelligence-gathering]] techniques have been deployed since the late 19th century. Frequently at the beginning of wars, nations have cut the cables of the other sides to redirect the information flow into cables that were being monitored. The most ambitious efforts occurred in [[World War I]], when British and German forces systematically attempted to destroy the others' worldwide communications systems by cutting their cables with surface ships or submarines.<ref>Jonathan Reed Winkler, ''Nexus: Strategic Communications and American Security in World War I'' (Cambridge, MA: [[Harvard University Press]], 2008)</ref>

During the [[Cold War]], the [[United States Navy]] and [[National Security Agency]] (NSA) succeeded in placing wire taps on Soviet underwater communication lines in [[Operation Ivy Bells]].

These historical intelligence-gathering techniques were eventually countered with technological advancements like the widespread use of [[end-to-end encryption]] minimizing the threat of [[Wiretapping|wire tapping]].