Financial transactions, government communications, and many global supply chain activities are heavily dependent upon an invisible web of undersea cables stretching across the seabed. But these lifelines are under attack. From deliberate sabotage to accidental damage, threats to critical maritime infrastructure are escalating, putting global connectivity, trade, and security at risk.
As geopolitical tensions rise and illicit actors exploit blind spots, governments and businesses can no longer afford to ignore this growing crisis. The question is, are the relevant governmental and commercial organizations ready to defend the backbone of the modern world?
This blog post, based on insights from Windward’s whitepaper, Critical Maritime Infrastructure is the New War Frontier, explores the evolving threats and the advanced solutions needed to safeguard these essential assets.
A Shifting Geopolitical Landscape
The increasing frequency of incidents has drawn the attention of the global trading and shipping and supply chain ecosystems. There have been over 100 submarine cable damage incidents per year in recent years, according to Recorded Future, a U.S. cybersecurity firm. Just between the short timeframe of November 2024 through February 2025, there were four high-profile incidents.
A geographic shift has also upped the urgency for many national security agencies and commercial firms. Incidents used to occur most frequently in the South China Sea, where Western bodies and firms have limited ability to act. But recently there have been multiple incidents in the Baltic Sea, such as the severing of the C-Lion1 cable, which was the only direct connection of its kind between Finland and Central Europe.
Why Maritime Infrastructure is a Prime Target
At least 11 Baltic cables have been damaged since October 2023, according to Time, making some suspect deliberate targeting. The events in the Baltic Sea point to a new typology – shallow-water sabotage that can be quickly carried out by any vessel and is meant to inflict physical damage. The speed makes these attacks difficult to anticipate and prevent.
CNN referred to critical underwater infrastructure as “Europe’s unexpected Achilles’ heel,” following a string of incidents since 2022. “So far, the impact on Europe’s natural gas, electricity and data flows has been fairly limited. But a concerted attack on data cables could paralyze many nations’ communications networks, jeopardizing hospital surgeries, police responses and more.”
There is a growing understanding of just how much is at stake for countries and companies around the world.
Protecting critical maritime infrastructure is vital for both governmental and commercial organizations, due to the cables’ essential role in global connectivity and economic stability. Submarine cables are responsible for carrying approximately 95% of all international data, enabling global communications, financial transactions, and operational logistics across industries.
Additionally, energy pipelines and underwater power grids that form part of the maritime infrastructure are critical for maintaining energy security and stability, making their protection a top priority for governments and businesses alike.
Illicit actors are highly motivated to strike, in part because most critical underwater cables and pipes are vulnerable – stakeholders don’t yet know how to effectively protect them.
Critical Capabilities for Critical Maritime Infrastructure Protection
Organizations can adopt an AI-powered solution to anticipate attacks, react quickly, and conduct thorough investigations afterward. The right solution would combine the power of cable-specific monitoring, behavioral analysis, customized risk, and instant alerts, for a fully automated maritime infrastructure protection solution.
This should include coverage for both close-to-shore and deep-sea operations.
Security or commercial organizations should look for a solution that will empower them to:
- Proactively assess and manage risk via:
- Customized risk profiles, proprietary data layers, in-system risky vessel population lists, behavioral and trend analysis, and relevant historical data
- Embedded Dataminr feed for target generation
- Monitor areas of interest and receive alerts on any vessel from a risky vessel population crossing or approaching cables of interest
- Investigate incidents after they occur by quickly identifying vessels that are suspected of damaging cables using advanced data layers, risk models, and activities.
Immediate vessel insights are also crucial. These can be obtained with Gen AI-generated vessel screening reports and an in-platform feed providing alerts on critical underwater infrastructure events from external sources, for context and explainability.
The Solution
Windward’s Critical Maritime Infrastructure Protection solution uniquely provides real-time protection around exact cable locations, a best-in-industry list of suspicious vessels, and advanced behavioral pattern detection, effectively identifying and mitigating threats to prevent incidents.
Windward Early Detection can flag anomalies and shifting trends globally, or within predefined areas. This includes intentional sabotage, or tampering with critical infrastructure.
Strengthening Maritime Infrastructure Against Emerging Threats
Safeguarding critical maritime infrastructure is essential to maintaining global connectivity, economic stability, and security. As threats grow more sophisticated, organizations need advanced, proactive solutions to monitor risks, detect anomalies, and respond swiftly. Investing in AI-powered protection ensures that vital undersea assets remain secure, minimizing disruptions and reinforcing resilience in an increasingly uncertain landscape.
See How Windward Can Help
