[181773] in North American Network Operators' Group
Re: [outages] CenturyLink fiber cut between Modesto, CA and San Jose,
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (William Herrin)
Thu Jul 2 14:24:06 2015
X-Original-To: nanog@nanog.org
X-Really-To: <nanog@nanog.org>
In-Reply-To: <bb7f60dfdca3f24db9c41619b05608c8@mail.dessus.com>
From: William Herrin <bill@herrin.us>
Date: Thu, 2 Jul 2015 14:23:35 -0400
To: Keith Medcalf <kmedcalf@dessus.com>
Cc: "nanog@nanog.org" <nanog@nanog.org>
Errors-To: nanog-bounces@nanog.org
On Wed, Jul 1, 2015 at 1:02 PM, Keith Medcalf <kmedcalf@dessus.com> wrote:
> No-Such-Agency typically taps communication lines by
> "back-hoe accident" of some sort on the path they are
> interested in tapping. Then again, maybe my tinfoil hat is too tight.
I'm gonna go with "too tight."
My main reason is that there's no need for our three-lettered friends
to risk themselves this way. It's far easier to invite specific
highly-placed employees of the communications company for a series of
meetings in a secure facility, after which the cable is rerouted
through an access-controlled room at one of its endpoints. No muss, no
fuss.
Then too, if they really do have to tap a cable, it's not like they
have to break it first. Dig it up mid-span, quietly let out slack from
the nearest vaults and nick the cladding on each fiber. Your link
gains half a db of loss (which you aren't actively monitoring anyway)
and their tap reads your data.
http://www.thefoa.org/tech/ref/appln/tap-fiber.html
Also, I think it more likely this is one of the angry anti-tech folks
in SF. Have you not heard about the tension between old-school
residents and the new tech workers who are driving up prices for
everything and basically driving everybody else out of town?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_bus_protests
Regards,
Bill Herrin
--
William Herrin ................ herrin@dirtside.com bill@herrin.us
Owner, Dirtside Systems ......... Web: <http://www.dirtside.com/>
