SAN FRANCISCO—The FBI is investigating at least 11 physical attacks on Internet cables in the San Francisco Bay Area. The most recent occurred on Tuesday, June 30 at about 4:20 a.m., when someone cut three Internet cables, Reuters reports.
The attacks were cut in Livermore, 40 miles east of San Francisco, and they have disrupted Internet service for businesses and residential customers around that area. There is no estimated time for when the services will be back up.
According to USA Today, FBI agents refused to speak specifically about the incident, but declared that they have an ongoing investigation of what seems to be a coordinated attack. In Tuesday’s attack, the attacker broke into the Alameda County underground vault and cut the cables that belonged to Level 3 and Zayo, two Colorado-based service providers.
FBI special agent, Greg Wuthrich, said that they need the public’s assistance when the issue starts affecting multiple companies and cities, becoming disturbing. Since July 6, 2014, fiber-optic cable lines have been cut in at least 10 Bay Area cities, according to the Los Angeles Times. The FBI is unsure of how the incidents are connected.
Peter Kranz, chief executive of Berkeley-based Internet provider Unwired Ltd. said that those affected were, “Pretty much everybody who has a large network in the Bay Area.”
The FBI has reported that these attacks are not related to the sniper attacks on Metcalf substation.
Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact the FBI at (415) 553-7400
