Physical damage can lead to breaks, bends, or fractures in the optical fibers, disrupting signal transmission and causing loss of communication. Prevention and Mitigation: Proper cable routing, protective conduits, and burying cables at appropriate depths can help prevent. In just the past 18 months, a pattern of undersea cable disruptions, 1 This refers to the physical severing of fiber-optic telecommunications cables that sit on the ocean floor, which can occur inadvertently due to entanglement with fishing equipment or a ship's anchor, or by an act of sabotage. The United Nations General Assembly lauded them as “critical communications infrastructure” and “vitally important to the global economy and the national security of all States. This study provides a systematic review of the current security threats, as well as the actors at the origin of these threats. Individual private companies and consortia of companies own and operate a network of more than 500 commercial undersea cables that. Even small forms of damage—from a bent cable to a rodent bite—can disrupt signals, cause costly outages, and require expensive repairs. This guide explores the most common causes of fiber-optic cable damage, explains the technical impact of each risk, and provides actionable strategies to protect. Submarine internet cables play a vital role in the modern economy and transmit almost all global internet connections between countries. These cables, however, are vulnerable to interference or hacking by foreign states who seek to obtain the valuable data that passes through them.