UK Parliament has launched an inquiry into potential threats to the country’s undersea cable network, which includes internet cable systems that connect the UK to the rest of the world. MPs and peers will examine possible threats to the country’s undersea cables following recent activity from Russian ships which have been tracked in British waters. […]
UK Parliament has launched an inquiry into potential threats to the country’s undersea cable network, which includes internet cable systems that connect the UK to the rest of the world.
MPs and peers will examine possible threats to the country’s undersea cables following recent activity from Russian ships which have been tracked in British waters.
Over 500 cable systems carry around 95% of all international data, and demand for this is growing. The UK itself is connected by around 60 subsea cables, making them a potential target for malicious activity from threat actors.
The inquiry will assess the UK’s capacity to defend its subsea infrastructure and consider how this may evolve with advances in technology.
It will explore the UK’s strategy, cooperation with international allies, options for improving deterrence, and the adequacy of cross-government coordination.
The investigation will also examine the UK’s resilience in the event of major disruption to internet infrastructure—read about how this could disrupt businesses here.
The inquiry was launched after the government’s secretary of state for defence, John Healey, made a statement in response to recent Russian maritime activity.
“A foreign vessel, Yantar, is in the North Sea, having passed through British waters,” he said. “Let me be clear: it is a Russian spy ship, used for gathering intelligence and mapping the UK’s critical underwater infrastructure.”
He detailed that Yantar entered the UK exclusive economic zone about 45 miles off the British coast last week and has been monitored by the Royal Navy.
Healey added that while it isn’t breaking the international rules of navigation, it’s the second time the ship has entered British waters in recent months, and has been seen loitering over UK critical underwater infrastructure,
“This activity is another example of growing Russian aggression, targeting our allies abroad and us at home,” he said, referring to recent subsea cable damage in the North Sea.
While a singular fault to one cable is unlikely to affect connectivity, the committee wrote in a blog post that “the impact of simultaneous damage to multiple cables would be significant,” and “onshore cable landing stations may also be targeted.”
The chair commented that “there is no need for panic—we have a good degree of resilience, and awareness of the challenge is growing.”
“Our inquiry will look at what’s needed to defend our subsea cables and consider the UK’s national resilience should our internet face major disruption.”
