Monday, July 6, 2015

YOU TELL US: “VANDALS” SEVER ANOTHER INTERNET CABLE IN CALIFORNIA…SO WHAT’S GOING ON?

Do you remember all those strange acts of vandalism over the past couple of years? First, there was the bizarre, and very professional, assault on an electrical power substation at the very southern end of Silicon Valley in California, an assault that left part of the region without electrical power for a few hours. The papers and media tended to report this as an act of vandalism. The trouble was, you'll recall, that the "vandals" knew exactly what to to, and what to target, inside the sub-station, and were in, out, and gone before local law enforcement even had a chance to respond. In short, the team that hit the sub-station were not vandals at all; they were professionals.
Then we had the case of the primary internet cable between Flagstaff and Phoenix, Arizona that was cut last year. Again, the act was attributed to vandals, but even if so, these were vandals that had enough professional acumen to know where to cut the cable. Again, this wa an "in and out" job.
Now there's this, and you may not have heard this on the mainstream/lamestream media(and this story was shared by many of you!):
Vandals sever another Internet backbone cable in California
Again, we're being told this is an act of vandalism, and again, in the San Francisco Bay-Silicon Valley area. This time, note the area:
"The latest attack occurred at around 4.30 am Pacific Time near the town of Livermore, about 50 miles east of San Francisco. Someone climbed down a manhole cover there and cut through several fiber optic cables, according to severalreports. The FBI is investigating.
"The cables are operated by backbone providers such as Level 3 Communications, which sell capacity to other cable and Internet providers. The cables carry huge amounts of data, so cutting them can slow services over a wide area."(Emphasis added)
Now, I don't know about you, but reading about internet cable cutting and "Livermore" in the same context raises my eyebrows a bit. Not much, but definitely a bit.
There's another version of this story here:
Calif. attacks send warning that Internet lines are 'basically unsecured'
This second article makes it clear the FBI is not thinking in terms of vandalism:
:Experts and the FBI say whoever cut the lines needed tools and expertise, and that it's unlikely the repeated acts are simple vandalism. The attacks generally happened in underground vaults where the cables were protected by sheathing called conduit.
Those underground vaults are rarely monitored, and often sit in remote areas. In many parts of the West, the cables are buried a few feet underground but their routes are marked by waist-high orange poles, and above-ground junction boxes are housed in easily accessible storage sheds. While the Internet was designed to be redundant, there aren't that many backbone cables. Cutting a few could cause widespread disruption."
However, at the end of the first article there's this:
"The FBI has now reported 11 incidents in the Bay Area over the past year in which people intentionally cut through fiber optic cables. It’s not clear if the attacks are related. Five of the incidents were in Fremont, with others in Berkeley, San Jose and Walnut Creek. The FBI wants people to report any suspicious activity around the time the cables were cut. A list of the previous 10 incidents is here"
And, just for good measure, here's the actual FBI website and statement:
FBI and Local Law Enforcement Seek Public’s Assistance Concerning Severed Fiber Optic Cables in the East Bay and South Bay
"The FBI, in a close-working relationship with local law enforcement agencies in the Bay Area, is requesting assistance to identify the individuals responsible for vandalizing fiber optic cables in Fremont, Walnut Creek, Alamo, Berkeley, and San Jose, California. Within the past year, cables were intentionally severed at the following locations:
  • July 6, 2014, 9:44 p.m. near 7th St. and Grayson St. in Berkeley
  • July 6, 2014, 11:39 p.m. near Niles Canyon Blvd. and Mission Blvd. in Fremont
  • July 7, 2014, 12:24 a.m. near Jones Road and Iron Horse Trail in Walnut Creek
  • July 7, 2014, 12:51 a.m. near Niles Canyon Blvd. and Alameda Creek in Fremont
  • July 7, 2014, 2:13 a.m. near Stockton Ave. and University Ave. in San Jose
  • February 24, 2015, 11:30 p.m. near Niles Canyon Blvd. and Mission Blvd. in Fremont
  • February 24, 2015 11:30 p.m. near Niles Canyon Blvd. and Alameda Creek in Fremont
  • June 8, 2015, 11:00 p.m. near Danville Blvd. and Rudgear Road in Alamo
  • June 8, 2015, 11:40 p.m. near Overacker Ave and Mowry Ave in Fremont
  • June 9, 2015, 1:38 p.m. near Jones Road and Parkside Dr. in Walnut Creek
Interestingly there do appear to be patterns here: first, as the article points out, the attacks are concentrated in Fremont, and secondly, most of the attacks appear to be conducted in the span of a month from June 6 to July 7, with only two attacks not conducted in that time frame. And even then, the two February attacks occured on the same day and at the same time, in two locations, in the same city: Fremont.
Now, I don't know about you, but everything here screams "pattern" and "coordination" to me(and it probably does to the FBI and local California law enforcement). This is, in my view, something more than mere vandalism, particularly when one factors into the context the sub-station attack, which may or may not be related (but my bet is, that it is related).
The real question here is "what is the motivation? Who benefits?" Here the high octane speculation is anybody's guess, and your high octane is as good as mine; this whole series of incidents falls into the "you tell us" category. Are these some sort of psyop or false flag operation, designed to test tactics for a much more generalized series of such incidents, to call for more "security" and internet regulation? Perhaps.
But the bay area with its Silicon Valley is an area of secrets and technologies, and hence, a beehive of foreign espionage activity. The Russians have long had a heavy intelligence presence in the area, and one can only assume that China and just about every other major power does as well. Could these incidents be their operations? Well, again, perhaps, but one would think they would be quite hesitant to engage in such activities and run the danger of exposure and compromising their more valuable and direct espionage activities. Either way one slices it, something is going on; there are patterns, and if a hack from South Dakota can spot them then it stands to reason that the FBI has as well, and probably knows more than it can, at present, say.
This is not only one to watch, but, it's in that category of "you tell us." Perhaps in your own high octane speculations, some valuable insight may occur that may help to flush up and capture the culprits.

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