FBI investigates “coordinated” cable attacks in California
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FBI investigates “coordinated” cable attacks in California

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating three severed fibre-optic cables in the Sacramento region of California, US, in what looks like a coordinated attack, according to local reports.

The cables belong to Level 3 Communications and Zayo Group, and Greg Wuthrich, special agent of the FBI’s San Francisco division, told reporters that the cuts were the latest in a string of attacks in the area over the last year. Since July 6 2014, 11 cables in the San Francisco area have been damaged.

“When it affects multiple companies and cities, it does become disturbing,” Wuthrich said. “We definitely need the public’s assistance.”

FBI officials believe that the attackers broke into an underground vault in Livermore – about 40 miles east of San Francisco – in the early hours of Tuesday morning to cut the three fibre-optic cables.

Customers as far away as Seattle have experienced a disruption to their internet service and Level 3 has said that it is working to restore services.

In a statement, Wave Broadband, a customer of both Level 3 and Zayo, described the incident as “coordinated” and said that it was working with both companies to resolve the issue.

“Law enforcement is involved and restoration crews are working to restore connectivity as quickly as possible,” added Zayo spokeswoman Shannon Paulk.

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