Scientists at the University of California at Irvine predict that if a rare solar superstorm comes to pass, it could cause a months-long outage for key parts of the Internet. Particularly vulnerable are undersea cables – approximately 1.3 million miles’ worth, on which intercontinental Internet depends.
Solar storms are not new, but obviously disrupting the Earth’s magnetic field didn’t matter much in the 18th century. In our current day and age, with so much of human activity dependent on the Internet, disruptions to these vital links could be devastating particularly if they are long-lasting.
The odds of this happening are between 1.6% and 12% per decade. However, the last time there was a major solar superstorm was 1921 (exactly 100 years ago). If a similar storm took place today, up to 40 million people could be without electricity for up to two years. Under the ocean, Internet links are made up of millions of miles of cable, which transmit signals in the form of light. Every 30-90 miles there is a repeater to amplify the signals, and these repeaters are vulnerable to electrical disruptions.
Related Posts:
Snapshots vs Backups Explained, And Why You Need Both in Your Life
DEEP DIVE: The Freedom House 2022 Report
Why the British PM is Worried Russia Will Destroy the Internet
The Nuclear Network Option: Isolating Russia
Over the Past Year, the Price of an IP Address Has More Than Doubled
Comparing BGP Stacks' Performance: bird vs. frr vs. OpenBGP vs gobgp Shootout Data Published
I also enjoy using LEBs! I have an empire of little guys for VPNs, larger guys for apps, and big guys for databases and storage. When I'm not in front a screen I'm into German Shepherd dogs, quality knives, target shooting, theology, tabletop roleplaying games, and forest hiking.
I enjoy writing technical articles here on LowEndBox to help people get more out of their systems. You can find me on LowEndTalk @raindog308
- Perfectionists Welcome!The PQ Hosting Interview (with a Special Discount Code!) - January 21, 2025
- Dropbear in 2025: Still the LowEnd SSH Server of Choice? - January 20, 2025
- “OMG! I Never Knew That!”: The Simply Linux Tip That Has Got Me More Thanks Than Anything I’ve Ever Shared in 30+ Years - January 19, 2025
You do realise that probability isn’t cumulative, yes? So just because there’s a 1 in 10 chance of something happening in a decade does not mean that if you have ten decades without it happening you will be more likely to see it in the tenth…