Recent incidents in the Baltic Sea and near Taiwan have intensified global concerns over the security of subsea cables—vital infrastructure that powers global communications and economies. Whether from accidental damage or deliberate sabotage, these vulnerabilities are increasingly in the spotlight.
“Over the past few years, there have been several notable incidents involving undersea cables, especially in recent months,” says Hila Sasson, director of product marketing at Windward.
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“Whether due to unintentional damage from anchors or deliberate sabotage, these incidents have highlighted the vulnerabilities of this critical infrastructure, as well as the potential implications an orchestrated cut could have for global communications. There have been reports of Chinese and Russian vessels repeatedly observed mapping undersea cables.”
With rising geopolitical tensions and so-called "grey zone" tactics—where state or non-state actors test limits without triggering direct conflict—the risk landscape is evolving. "The challenge is clear," Sasson adds.
How vulnerable are subsea cables?
Unburied shallow-water cables are particularly exposed, making them prime targets for both accidental interference and intentional attacks. While fully eliminating risk may not be possible, enhanced monitoring, early detection, and rapid response mechanisms can mitigate threats.
“The most effective safeguards include diversifying network routes to avoid over-reliance on single cables, deploying constant monitoring systems, and setting up rapid response protocols,” Sasson explains.
“Organisations must also prioritise early warning systems that provide real-time alerts about suspicious vessel activity in high-risk areas.”
Windward’s Critical Maritime Infrastructure Protection solution leverages AI-driven behavioural analysis, historical maritime data, and real-time monitoring to identify potential threats before they escalate.
“Our platform continuously analyses vessel movements and flags anomalies based on deviation from expected behaviour,” Sasson says.
“By leveraging proprietary data layers, such as the Windward-mapped cable infrastructure and AI-based behavioural analysis, we can detect suspicious activities near undersea infrastructure and issue early warnings.”
This early-warning capability allows governments, intelligence agencies, and private stakeholders to act proactively rather than reactively helping to prevent attacks before they happen.
Additionally, AI-powered insights are crucial in post-incident investigations, providing valuable data for insurers and law enforcement agencies.
Identifying threats in real-time
What exactly does suspicious vessel behaviour look like? Windward’s AI-driven system detects multiple risk factors to differentiate between accidental and intentional threats.
“When dealing with cable sabotage, common behaviours we have seen include dark activity—when ships disable their Automatic Identification System (AIS)—as well as vessels loitering or drifting near critical infrastructure, erratic or meandering paths, or GNSS manipulation, where a vessel spoofs its location,” Sasson reveals.
AI enables the system to cross-reference this data with historical patterns and risk models, helping to separate normal maritime operations from potential security threats. Ownership structures also play a role in assessing risk.
“Users can create their own risk profile and be alerted to factors they deem high risk,” Sasson explains.
“For example, if a vessel is owned by a one-ship Chinese company flying a flag of convenience, it may be a cause for heightened suspicion.”
Case study: Spotting the threat before the attack
While specific cases remain confidential, Windward’s AI has repeatedly flagged vessels involved in major incidents before they occurred.
“For example, the Chinese-owned vessel Shunxing 39 was reportedly involved in severing an undersea fibre-optic cable near Taiwan, raising concerns about intentional sabotage,” Sasson notes.
“Windward data showed that this vessel was transmitting as many as three different false identities in order to obscure its real identity and relation to the incident.”
This specific case showed how advanced AI-driven monitoring can identify and alert stakeholders to high-risk activity long before an attack materialises.
The future of AI in maritime security
AI and predictive analytics are shifting maritime security from reactive response to proactive prevention—and automation is taking this a step further.
“With the increasing digitisation of global infrastructure, AI-driven monitoring can provide a global safeguarding system that automates threat detection and response,” Sasson says.
One such advancement is tipping and cueing technology, where AI identifies potential threats and automatically triggers satellite imaging of the area of interest.
"As threats to maritime infrastructure evolve, and tactics for sabotage become increasingly sophisticated, advanced AI-powered solutions will be critical in ensuring the resilience of global communications networks," Sasson concludes.
With AI leading the charge, the future of subsea cable security may be far more robust than ever before.
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