Cable and Wireless experiences Network Difficulties
At its location in Watford, Cable & Wireless’ network has undergone a major setback, going offline after thieves plundered the site, stealing equipment which was vital to operation. The outage of service sparked inquiry from many broadband consumers, who contacted the operator regarding their disconnection. Additionally, many major websites which are hosted at that site experienced complete shutouts, disallowing access from web users. Users who contacted the operator were informed of the mishap which resulted in downtime.
Recently, it has become apparent that broadband infrastructures serve as practical targets for thieves, as they contain equipment of substantial value. Many people believe that the stolen products are used as scrap metal, which is sold for significant value. Even though these stations are maintained, their security is often subpar, allowing easy access form thieves. Just recently, a Verizon telecoms station was robbed by thieves which came disguised as police officers. In this situation, staff was tied up as thieves pilfered motherboards.
Regarding the Watford incident, the theft consisted of large-scale routers and network lines. Luckily, the thieves attacked a smaller site, which was unmanned and easier to penetrate. Still, this could affect the network significantly, as it is suspected that a majority of Cisco equipment was stolen, including routers and network cards.
