Coordinated telecoms attacks in France take internet down

[Workingman]

Not so....

https://www.securityinfowatch.com/cyber ... ber-crimes

[Suff]

Apples/Oranges. These are stealth breaches intending to gain advantage and/or make money on sales.

This kind of activity is destructive and DOS. All destructing and DOS attacks which are expected to derail services and cause mayhem are trumpeted. Because that it the point of them. To prove that they can do this. Even ransomware attacks are accompanied with a demand for money to unlock.

This kind of DOS and silence? Not normal at all.

[Workingman]

There are plenty of successful hacks we know little about because we are not in the "need to know". There are others that are published yet we know nothing of the perps or the reasons for their actions.

You have your opinions and suspicions, but no hard evidence for them. From what I can gather this was a physical attack, not a computing hack, cutting cables within trunking next to railway lines or similar. Anyone could have done it.

[Suff]

Anyone could have done it.

Wrong. These attacks happened simultaneously in at least 3 major cities with hundreds of miles of separation and were synchronised activities. Not just "anybody" could have carried them out. Not only that, but we'd need to understand just how they synchronised these attacks.

People don't just wake up in the middle of the night and say "hey I'm going to phone a bunch of like minded people and trash the fibre communications backbone for France". This took long and meticulous planning and flawless execution. Most people don't have a clue just how difficult that is over these distances. Especially as mobile phone and internet blackout was almost certainly required in order to ensure they got away without leaving obvious traces. They didn't just hit "any" fibre cables. They hit city to city backbone nexus points. That means a LOT of specific knowledge about how these networks were connected and where the crucial nexus points were. Everything about this shrieks "massive planning". They did not hit any fibre access points that were not critical nexus points.

As the investigation goes on I expect to hear that all the obvious quick investigative wins were not present.

No mobile phones or mobile internet active on the towers closest to the sites. No vehicles having passed any recording devices. No CCTV. France has very strict laws on CCTV which means that unless you have an overriding security issue, you can't put them up.

The next place they will look? Online for any traceable chatter about what was done and who did it. Like boasting. My guess? They won't find anything.

This was a professional hit on the fibre infrastructure of France. Traces will be all but invisible.

Then there have to be conclusions. I've already seen one security consultancy ruminating on just how impossible this was to happen. They didn't defend against it because it simply wasn't going to happen.

Whilst this will die a quiet death in the UK press, I'll be following up locally.

[Kaz]

This will definitely have been people in the know.

[Workingman]

Suff, you have made your mind up, and convinced yourself, that it was the Russian military. Of course it was, it fits your agenda, and nothing will deflect you from that, so I'll leave you to it.

[Suff]

No, I'm asking valid questions. Answer the questions and then we can work out who might have done it.

Anonymous? Nope they are flat out hacking Russia and Russia's allies.
Right wing groups? Highly unlikely as they would need to "groom" the correct people with the correct knowledge. Possible but not very likely.
Lone Wolves? They don't run in packs. Even less likely.
Anarchists? Also unlikely.
Final question. If this were all to pressurise France into doing something, why did nobody claim the actions?

So answering the questions of who could have, who had the motivation, how they researched, planned and executed it; brings us to some conclusions.

[Workingman]

So answering the questions of who could have, who had the motivation, how they researched, planned and executed it; brings us to some conclusions.

Yes. Vlad the Mad. Well done. You win.

And your solution to Vlad? Nukes?

[Suff]

And your solution to Vlad? Nukes?

Same solution we have ever had since MAD began.

"You can't use them because we have them too. If you use them you're history. It doesn't matter if we're history because we won't ever use them first. However if you use them you're history".

It is the same message. We just need the backbone to keep reiterating it until it goes in. There is no escape by using nukes. There is no "way out" by using nukes. The reality is that nukes balance each other out and if both sides have them neither side can use them.

Stay on message. Don't look weak. Never let them believe they can get away with it.

[Workingman]

In WW2 resistance teams loosened railway ties to derail German trains - very low tech, a few spanners.

They even used axle grease to prevent trains gaining traction on uphill slopes or breaking on downhill stretches.- even lower tech.

These sorts of things are still available today - no (Russian) military training needed.

The reality is that nukes balance each other out and if both sides have them neither side can use them.

Correct. But what if one side's leader suffers "Cornered rat syndrome" and lashes out?

We have to be very careful on this and hawkish sentiments do not help. Talk FFS.