Submarine Cable Security

Submarine cable security is the protection of the subsea fiber-optic cables that carry an estimated 99 percent of intercontinental internet and data traffic, including most ship-to-shore communications routed through shore landings. Threats span accidental anchor and trawler damage, which causes most faults, deliberate sabotage, and tapping. Cables on the high seas are governed by UNCLOS 1982 Articles 112 to 115, which establish the freedom to lay cables and require states to penalize willful or negligent breakage; the 2024 to 2025 Baltic Sea incidents pushed the issue up the critical-infrastructure agenda for NATO and the EU.