Old Georgian lady accidentally knocks out Armenia’s Internet
In a story that will not exactly fill you with confidence about the robustness of the world’s communications networks, an elderly Georgian woman (not the one pictured above… as far as I know) scavenging for scrap metal accidentally knocked out Internet service for a country of 3.2 million people last week: The woman, 75, had ...
In a story that will not exactly fill you with confidence about the robustness of the world's communications networks, an elderly Georgian woman (not the one pictured above... as far as I know) scavenging for scrap metal accidentally knocked out Internet service for a country of 3.2 million people last week:
In a story that will not exactly fill you with confidence about the robustness of the world’s communications networks, an elderly Georgian woman (not the one pictured above… as far as I know) scavenging for scrap metal accidentally knocked out Internet service for a country of 3.2 million people last week:
The woman, 75, had been digging for the metal not far from the capital Tbilisi when her spade damaged the fibre-optic cable on 28 March.
As Georgia provides 90% of Armenia’s internet, the woman’s unwitting sabotage had catastrophic consequences. Web users in the nation of 3.2 million people were left twiddling their thumbs for up to five hours as the country’s main internet providers – ArmenTel, FiberNet Communication and GNC-Alfa – were prevented from supplying their normal service. Television pictures showed reporters at a news agency in the capital Yerevan staring glumly at blank screens.
Large parts of Georgia and some areas of Azerbaijan were also affected.
"It was a 75-year-old woman who was digging for copper in the ground so that she could sell it for scrap," said a spokesman for Georgia’s interior ministry said yesterday.
Dubbed "the spade-hacker" by local media, the woman – who has not been named – is being investigated on suspicion of damaging property. She faces up to three years in prison if charged and convicted.
Given its own experience with cyberattacks, Georgia ought to be worried that the fragility of the region’s networks has now been revealed. Who needs elite hackers and DDOS attacks? With its inexhaustible supply of spade-wielding babushkas, the Kremlin could bring Tbilisi to its knees!
Joshua Keating was an associate editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @joshuakeating
More from Foreign Policy
At Long Last, the Foreign Service Gets the Netflix Treatment
Keri Russell gets Drexel furniture but no Senate confirmation hearing.
How Macron Is Blocking EU Strategy on Russia and China
As a strategic consensus emerges in Europe, France is in the way.
What the Bush-Obama China Memos Reveal
Newly declassified documents contain important lessons for U.S. China policy.
Russia’s Boom Business Goes Bust
Moscow’s arms exports have fallen to levels not seen since the Soviet Union’s collapse.
Sign up for World Brief
FP’s flagship evening newsletter guiding you through the most important world stories of the day. Delivered weekdays.
By submitting your email, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to receive email correspondence from us. You may opt out at any time.
