Actually, tapping terrestrial fiber optic cable is easy: a 3db splitter will do it, though that introduces a break (which isnt a big deal: sonet/sdh rings will recover within 50 ms, in general). Its also fairly easy to introduce a tap that doesnt introduce a break, and this doesnt require spookish equipment at all:its kind of a hand-grip-looking thing that clamps onto the fiber and pulls some of the optical signal via cladding-mode coupling. Either of these methods introduce at least a 3db loss, which in many cases will just be assumed by the fibers owners to be some of the usual cultprits that cause loss, or simply a poor splice by the truck guys. Once you introduce optical amplification, however, its eavesdrop city and you can tap out some signal without the loss being evident to even OTDRs. Tapping an underwater cable is far, far harder, but the NSA is known by fiber guys to have at least two of the very expensive and very specialized subs necessary. At Bellcore, I actually consulted on some undersea project by the defense department, who were seeing intermittent losses on their underwater something-or-other, which they never told us. But, it was obvious that they were operating an OC-3 network via their own optical fibers, which I strongly suspect sat alongside or even inside the underwater cable. They probably had periodic stations to look for interesting chunks of traffic that they could tap (or electronically copy) into their own network, which Ill take a wild guess was probably ATM over OC-3, which would make sense for several reasons, including reach, which is critical in that environment. In this case, though, I dont think its us JbTs, just because theres too much business at stake. I suspect we have some new mode of fiber optic mujahadeen that are trying to hurt or seriously fuck up money flows into the middle east, but dont quote me on that. How did they do it? Dont know, but remember they were resourceful enough to figure out how to turn a 727 into a very effective smart missile. -TD> Date: Sat, 9 Feb 2008 12:04:33 -0500> To: cypherpunks@al-qaeda.net> From: jya@pipeline.com> Subject: Re: undersea cable cuts> > The Economist did little research, it seems, or it was fed disinfo, or> was induced to defuse speculation.> > This list's archive, if no where else, would defuse most of the Economist's> defusing. That's not to say the cpunks archives exists in full, or not easily> located.> > For several years, if not from day one, transoceanic cables are pre-rigged> for > tapping, aguably for repair and maintenance by firms like Global Marine, > but easily siphoned for less benign purposes. Moreover it is flat wrong that> fiber optic cable is hard to tap. It takes sophisticated equipment but none> that is beyond the spies and telecomms regular capability. Disinfo abounds> about this as with most classified-at-birth communications technology.> > The spies regularly spout that fiber has made eavesdropping more difficult,> along with encryption, the out of control Internet, the ease of transborder> evasion of laws governing global laws on privacy and national security.> > Top US spy McConnell is on automatic about these fairy tales.> > Lying about interception capability is as old as communications. The> Economist is full of shit and shallowness, the silly quotes from discussion> lists, with only a small chance that the story was not planted by officials. > > It sure reads like the usual DNI-MI-speak when an op is discovered or > deliberately leaked to divert attention from more covert derringdo.> > Say, why tap when worldwide ISPs are jumping through hoops to get natsec> snooping business.> > I'd say global spies are desperate to keep surveillance budgets out of this > world. Almost as desperate as news outlets whipsawing readers.> > Nothing like that would ever happen here. _________________________________________________________________ Shed those extra pounds with MSN and The Biggest Loser! http://biggestloser.msn.com/