Taiwanese Expert Discusses Submarine Cable Security in Portugal, Points to Data Scarcity as Protection Challenge
During the "Mafra Dialogues" in Portugal, Taiwanese expert Huang Sheng-hsiung highlighted that a lack of data poses a significant challenge to protecting submarine cables. He noted that most cable damage is human-induced, but without data, solutions are hard to find. Huang also emphasized the need for collaboration between cybersecurity experts and physical security experts like the navy to address vulnerabilities in submarine cables, data centers, and domain name systems.
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- 📰 Published: April 9, 2026 at 09:41
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The "Mafra Dialogues" organized by the "Institute for the Promotion of Latin America and the Caribbean" (IPDAL) in Portugal invited Huang Sheng-hsiung, Anum Khan, Associate Researcher at the National Maritime Foundation of India, and João Fonseca Ribeiro, a retired Portuguese naval commander, to participate in a seminar discussing how to protect critical infrastructure such as submarine cables. The content was broadcast live online.
Felipe Pathé Duarte, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Law, Nova University of Lisbon, who moderated the seminar, stated that submarine cables, digital networks, energy systems, and space-related assets are now the invisible pillars of the economy and society. However, under hybrid threats, they are also becoming strategic targets, and such destructive events are often difficult to attribute responsibility but are interconnected.
Huang Sheng-hsiung said that most submarine cable damage is caused by human factors, such as fishing or ship anchors, but due to a lack of data, it is difficult to find solutions. He emphasized that "without data, there is no evidence," and without evidence, there is no jurisdiction and sovereignty, which also means losing control over waters.
He mentioned that a complete digital model of the exclusive economic zone based on sonar images is necessary information. With this information, critical intelligence can be grasped, and then the next response plan can be determined.
Huang Sheng-hsiung also said that the vulnerabilities of the global digital economy include submarine cables, data centers, and domain name systems. In particular, submarine cables are not only related to cybersecurity but also to physical security. Traditional cybersecurity experts should cooperate with experts familiar with physical security issues, such as the navy and coast guard, to jointly identify risks.
Anum Khan stated that interconnected marine infrastructure such as submarine cables, oil pipelines, offshore wind farms, liquefied natural gas platforms, and ports constitute the pillars of the global economy and rely on international cooperation for protection. This is because these facilities are often transnational, requiring joint action by relevant countries, and because the marine domain is increasingly susceptible to hybrid and gray zone threats, requiring countries to coordinate responses, share intelligence, and prepare together.
She pointed out that damage in one region could affect global trade, energy supply, and financial systems, especially since "redundancy" has not yet been achieved, meaning multiple cables between two nodes, so that even if one fails, data can be transmitted uninterrupted.
Ribeiro believes that currently popular unmanned systems cannot replace human-managed systems but can only serve as a supplement. He also mentioned that defense and security strategists face huge challenges. In the past, defense capabilities might have been planned through multi-year processes, but now technology is rapidly updated, and production and innovation occur simultaneously. If they do not keep pace with the times, systems will quickly become obsolete. (Editor: Tien Jui-hua) 1150409
Felipe Pathé Duarte, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Law, Nova University of Lisbon, who moderated the seminar, stated that submarine cables, digital networks, energy systems, and space-related assets are now the invisible pillars of the economy and society. However, under hybrid threats, they are also becoming strategic targets, and such destructive events are often difficult to attribute responsibility but are interconnected.
Huang Sheng-hsiung said that most submarine cable damage is caused by human factors, such as fishing or ship anchors, but due to a lack of data, it is difficult to find solutions. He emphasized that "without data, there is no evidence," and without evidence, there is no jurisdiction and sovereignty, which also means losing control over waters.
He mentioned that a complete digital model of the exclusive economic zone based on sonar images is necessary information. With this information, critical intelligence can be grasped, and then the next response plan can be determined.
Huang Sheng-hsiung also said that the vulnerabilities of the global digital economy include submarine cables, data centers, and domain name systems. In particular, submarine cables are not only related to cybersecurity but also to physical security. Traditional cybersecurity experts should cooperate with experts familiar with physical security issues, such as the navy and coast guard, to jointly identify risks.
Anum Khan stated that interconnected marine infrastructure such as submarine cables, oil pipelines, offshore wind farms, liquefied natural gas platforms, and ports constitute the pillars of the global economy and rely on international cooperation for protection. This is because these facilities are often transnational, requiring joint action by relevant countries, and because the marine domain is increasingly susceptible to hybrid and gray zone threats, requiring countries to coordinate responses, share intelligence, and prepare together.
She pointed out that damage in one region could affect global trade, energy supply, and financial systems, especially since "redundancy" has not yet been achieved, meaning multiple cables between two nodes, so that even if one fails, data can be transmitted uninterrupted.
Ribeiro believes that currently popular unmanned systems cannot replace human-managed systems but can only serve as a supplement. He also mentioned that defense and security strategists face huge challenges. In the past, defense capabilities might have been planned through multi-year processes, but now technology is rapidly updated, and production and innovation occur simultaneously. If they do not keep pace with the times, systems will quickly become obsolete. (Editor: Tien Jui-hua) 1150409