Editorial illustration for Full‑stack resilience: protecting democracies from digital threats to subsea cables
Subsea Cables: Protecting Global Digital Infrastructure
Full‑stack resilience: protecting democracies from digital threats to subsea cables
The internet runs on wet string. A million miles of it, at the bottom of the ocean. Democratic governments, stock trades, and a billion cat videos all depend on these fragile glass threads. They are also absurdly easy to break.
A ship's anchor, a deliberate cut, a cyberattack on the station where the cable meets land. Any of these can silence a country's digital pulse in an instant. The fix isn't a tougher cable. It's a tougher system.
A nation’s strength depends on secure access to digital technologies when malicious actors can target critical infrastructure from half a world away.
One weak link ruins the chain. That link could be a physical cable, a server, or the phone in your pocket. Protecting just one layer is pointless.
The response has to be as layered as the threat itself. This means the physical wires, the software architecture that routes data, and the people running it all have to work together. You don't just bury the cable deeper.
You build a network that expects to be hit, that can reroute itself, and that keeps functioning even when parts of it go dark. Attacks on these undersea lines are already happening. The only remaining question is whether we'll defend the entire stack, or just watch it unravel.
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Common Questions Answered
How many submarine cables exist globally as of 2025?
[internetsociety.org](https://www.internetsociety.org/resources/policybriefs/2025/enhancing-the-resilience-of-submarine-internet-infrastructure/) reports that there are 570 commercial undersea fiber-optic cables as of 2025, with an additional 81 planned. These cables carry 97-98% of the world's intercontinental Internet traffic, forming the critical backbone of global communications infrastructure.
What are the primary causes of submarine cable disruptions?
According to the [internetsociety.org](https://www.internetsociety.org/resources/policybriefs/2025/enhancing-the-resilience-of-submarine-internet-infrastructure/) policy brief, most cable disruptions—around 200 per year—are caused by natural causes or human error, rather than intentional geopolitical threats. The vulnerability of submarine infrastructure stems from its remoteness, exposure to natural elements, and dependence on a limited number of landing points.
How are countries collaborating to improve submarine cable security?
The [gov.uk](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-york-joint-statement-on-the-security-and-resilience-of-undersea-cables/new-york-joint-statement-on-the-security-and-resilience-of-undersea-cables-in-a-globally-digitalized-world) publication highlights the New York Joint Statement on undersea cable security, signed by multiple countries in 2024. This international effort aims to address the increasing vulnerabilities in communication networks by promoting collaboration and developing policies to protect critical submarine cable infrastructure.
Further Reading
- Submarine Cable Security at Risk Amid Geopolitical Tensions — Recorded Future
- Threats Below the Surface: Why Subsea Cable Resilience Matters — Subsea Cables
- EU allocates €347 million to boost Europe's submarine cables under CEF Digital, update releases cable security toolbox — Industrial Cyber
- Submarine Cable Security Toolbox and Cable Projects of European Interest — European Commission
