DX1ARM Forum

QuoteIn this paper, we show that a powerful solar superstorm has the potential to cause massive disruption of the Internet. Astrophysicists estimate the likelihood of a solar storm of sufficient strength to cause catastrophic disruption occurring within the next decade to be 1.6 to 12%. Paying attention to this threat and planning defenses against it, like our preliminary effort in this paper, is critical for the long-term resilience of the Internet. Several challenges remain open in this space. How can we model infrastructure failures more accurately? How do we factor in solar threat during Internet in- frastructure and systems design? How can we help operators in making disaster preparation and recovery plans? We anticipate that this paper will provide an initial impetus towards answering these important questions.