
FBI investigating vandalism of fiberoptic cables at Livermore - anigbrowl
http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/FBI-investigating-vandalism-of-fiber-optic-cables-6360469.php
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codezero
Something really interesting I noticed, according to:
[http://www.scribd.com/doc/270207251/Severed-Fiber-Optic-
Cabl...](http://www.scribd.com/doc/270207251/Severed-Fiber-Optic-Cables)

There were cuts in Alamo @ 11pm, and then in Fremont at 11:40pm.

It takes almost exactly that long to drive between these locations.

Either there are multiple parties at work here, or these cuts are planned very
well and executed flawlessly.

Indeed, this dual-pronged approach seems to happen three times total.

On 7/6 Berkeley to Fremont, 7/7 Walnut Creek to Fremont then San Jose (though
I think it would be hard to get from WC to Fremont in 25 minutes... basically
impossible), and 6/8 Alamo to Fremont.

Actually, it seems almost certain that multiple people are either doing this
independently or working together.

Since the disparate cuts happen on the same day, it seems very much like
multiple people are working together.

~~~
chinathrow
It would be interesting to learn what high profile clients are getting their
connectivity and how it affects their business either by a) severed or no
connectivity or b) that a splitter device is running somewhere near the cut
and doing MITM.

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fiatmoney
If you're wondering whether this is related to the sniper attacks on
electrical transformers in 2013, don't worry - despite having apparently no
idea who did either, the FBI is pretty sure there's no connection.

"On April 16, 2013, suspects clipped fiber-optic cables outside San Jose
before snipers opened fire on electrical transformers at PG&E's Metcalf
Transmission Substation, causing more than $15 million in damage.

According to the FBI, the recent spate of fiber cuts are unconnected to the
sniper attack on the Metcalf substation. No one has been arrested in
connection with that attack."

[http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-sacramento-
cable...](http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-sacramento-cables-
vandalized-20150630-story.html)

~~~
Alupis
One has to question how they can be so certain they are totally unrelated
given they have no clues about either incidents. Seems more like wishful
thinking than sound facts at this point.

~~~
skolor
No public information about a crime doesn't mean no clues.

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jlgaddis
I wonder how long it will be until the authorities start getting cell site
records showing everyone who was near each of these locations and then
analyzing them to find people who just happened to be in/around several of
these locations when each of the cuts occurred.

~~~
dmfdmf
Or who's cell phone shut off 1 or 2 cells over then turned back on 1 or 2
cells over in the time frame of the crime. This is the kind of FBI sleuthing
I'd support, assuming they got a warrant.

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arebop
A warrant to query everyone's geotagged cell phone records? That's a long way
from traditional warrants to obtain a suspect's call log or to tap a suspect's
phone...

~~~
jlgaddis
I don't have a link handy or even recall what the situation was, but I recall
reading of at least instance where law enforcement acquired cell site "dumps"
of every connected phone. What I mentioned isn't too far off from that.

~~~
Laforet
You might be referring to this story from Lebanon.

[http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/15/magazine/the-hezbollah-
con...](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/15/magazine/the-hezbollah-
connection.html?_r=0)

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codezero
I acknowledge my own paranoia, but is there any chance this wasn't vandalism,
but is a cover story for the NSA installing equipment on the fiber?

~~~
skolor
Why wouldn't they just drop their equipment and leave? Cutting cables causes a
noticeable outage and requires people to physically visit the point of
modification, which ruins the covert potential for such equipment.

~~~
codezero
Possibly there's no way to install the equipment in a way that won't interrupt
service.

Also, such an approach would give the fiber company plausible deniability if
they were ever called out for supporting NSA data collection.

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hellbanner
Is this vandalism or a terrorist attack? Interfering with communication
structures..

~~~
jdietrich
Probably just failed cable theft. Petty criminals who steal metals for scrap
aren't particularly bright.

[http://www.techweekeurope.co.uk/workspace/thousands-sky-
cust...](http://www.techweekeurope.co.uk/workspace/thousands-sky-customers-
offline-copper-thieves-steal-bt-fibre-134037)

~~~
rhizome
How much scrap metal is there in a fiber optic cable?

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leecb
This cable might actually have quite a bit of metal armour on it to protect
the cable from damage. Here's a picture that came up earlier today, showing
rigid metal "caterpillar" armour that goes on the outside of the cable to
protect it near shorelines:
[https://plus.google.com/+UrsH%C3%B6lzle/posts/Gwz3TFyvCAf?pi...](https://plus.google.com/+UrsH%C3%B6lzle/posts/Gwz3TFyvCAf?pid=6162904257712620130&oid=100873628951632372330)

