In the short answer, yes it can.
Your fiber optic cable is a highly sensitive piece of equipment that transmits light through the wire instead of electricity. Normal electric cables can be tapped quite easily with the modern systems available to just about anybody online.
While fiber optics cables can be tapped, it does leave telltale signs and can cause a disruption in the service. Let’s delve a little deeper into how the fiber optics system works to better understand how you can protect you and your data from unwanted attention.
Fiber Optics – The Basics
In another blog, we covered the basic workings of the fiber optics system, but for a brief refresher, here it is. The fiber optics transmits light through the cables, rather than the conventional system of transmitting electricity. Data is converted to beams of light and then back to electricity at the other end to be read.
Our network usage everyday depends on fiber optic cabling with enormous cables stretching across the oceans to get data from one side of the world to the other at the speed of light. If we had a direct line, we could transmit one packet of data around the 11 times in one second. That’s how fast it can travel.
Wiretapping Fiber Optics Cable
Light travels along the line in single or multi-mode cables. That cable allows for a single path or many paths for the beams of light to traverse. That cable can be spliced to draw off a tiny percentage (1%) of the signal to capture at another end.
The problem with this is that a splicer is a delicate piece of machinery that must precisely cut and polish the ends of the cable so they join up perfectly. That precision is hard and costly to create.
Also, to cut and re-couple the cable onto another path would disrupt the path of the cable and cause disruption in the transmission. That’s a risky endeavor for those conducting the wiretapping. There could also be a loss of signal at the receiving end, so the wiretap would be spotted quickly by those who look for it.
If you’re concerned about your fiber optics security, don’t be. The cost and obstacles to effectively wiretap the lines make it prohibitively impractical. Fiber optics cables are safe from interference and from transmission intercepts.
If you’d like to book a network installation of your workplace, we here at Las Vega Fiber Optic have a certified contractor, the largest fiber optics contractors in the area, who can come install and inform you about how your networks can be safer with fiber optics. Contact us today.
Las Vegas Fiber Optic
6560 Spencer Street #A5-125
Las Vegas, NV 89119
702-638-9697