---
title: "Russian Intelligence Is Snooping Around Undersea Internet Cables"
description: "Russia's intelligence agency reportedly sent agents to insepct undersea internet cables around Dublin, a major tech hub, causing fears over wiretapping."
date: "2020-02-18"
modified: "2020-02-18"
authors:
  - name: "Dan Robitzski"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/danrobitzski"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/russian-intelligence-snooping-undersea-internet-cables"
categories:
  - "Science & Energy"
tags:
  - "Russia"
  - "the digest"
  - "undersea cables"
---

# Russian Intelligence Is Snooping Around Undersea Internet Cables

![Russia's intelligence agency reportedly sent agents to insepct undersea internet cables around Dublin, a major tech hub, causing fears over wiretapping.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/russia-intelligence-snooping-around-undersea-internet-cables.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Submarine Cable Map\</em\>*

## Wiretapping

GRU, Russia's foreign intelligence service, has reportedly dispatched agents to inspect the undersea internet cables that connect Europe and North America.

These [undersea fiber-optic cables](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/google-internet-cable-africa-europe>) are the crucial infrastructure between internet, phone, and other digital networks. And Russia's presence near cables in Ireland — a crucial hub — has Irish police concerned that GRU agents could tap in and spy on other countries, [according to *The Sunday Times*](<https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/russian-agents-plunge-to-new-ocean-depths-in-ireland-to-crack-transatlantic-cables-fnqsmgncz?wgu=270525_54264_15820470766812_40fc8417e6&wgexpiry=1589823076&utm_source=planit&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_content=22278>).

Even more drastically, it's resuscitated concerns that Russia [might launch an attack](<https://futurism.com/russian-sub-fire-internet-cables>) on the cables that cuts a target nation off from the rest of the world.

## Cracking The Vault

Ireland is a major hub for tech companies, *Business Insider* reports. Facebook, Google, Twitter, and Airbnb all have headquarters and store data in Dublin, making the country a juicy target for spies looking to extract valuable data.

And given that the Russian government [fined Facebook and Twitter](<https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2020/02/13/russia-fines-twitter-and-facebook-63000-each-over-data-law-a69280>) last week for refusing to store user data on Russian territory, it's possible that the GRU is considering more direct action.

## Soft Target

The Russian presence around Ireland's undersea cables is particularly troubling because there may not be much Ireland can do about any interference.

"Ireland doesn't have a counter-intelligence capability," Mark Galeotti, an expert on Russian security, told *The Sunday Times*. "It's a relatively soft target."

**READ MORE:** [Russian intelligence agents reportedly went to Ireland to inspect undersea cables, and it's reigniting fears they could cut them and take entire countries offline](<https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-agents-went-to-ireland-to-inspect-undersea-cables-report-2020-2>) \[*Business Insider*\]

**More on undersea cables:** *[Russian Sub That Caught Fire Possibly Sent to Cut Internet Cables](<https://futurism.com/russian-sub-fire-internet-cables>)*

## Author
Dan Robitzki is a senior reporter for Futurism, where he likes to cover AI, tech ethics, and medicine. He spends his extra time fencing and streaming games from Los Angeles, California.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://x.com/danrobitzski>)