Russian Intelligence agents sent to Ireland to inspect the undersea internet cables that establish a connection between Europe and North America.
The news is alarming as Russia may carryout new cyber-espionage operations by tapping the undersea cables or destroying them.
Irish security services believe that these agents were sent by Russia’s foreign intelligence agency to find the weak points in the fiber-optic cables.
“Russia has sent intelligence agents to Ireland to map the precise location of the fiber-optic, ocean-bed cables that connect Europe to America, gardai suspect. This has raised concerns that Russian agents are checking the cables for weak points, to tap or even damage them in the future.” reported The Sunday Times.
Ireland is the docking space for Undersea communication cables between North America and Europe. It is the major hub for tech companies including Facebook, Google, Twitter, and Airbnb.
“Ireland doesn’t have a counter-intelligence capability, it is a soft target for attackers, the country acts as a major node for the global internet.
A retired CIA officer John Sipher in Moscow told The Sunday Times that there is a high chance the agents are either spying or planning to cut the communications.
He also added that Russian agents may get physical access to the routers and the communication nodes.
Atack on undersea cables is not a new one, in 2014 British base tapped undersea cables in the Middle East.
