A group of Chinese spies with Volt Typhoon intervened in the emergency response network of a major American city to explore American telecommunications.
Since the beginning of 2023, this group has also been engaged in intelligence and collecting data from several US electricity companies. They have recently been focused on emergency management services, including telecommunications and satellite services.
Dragos emphasizes the strategic sense of the chosen goals as they are of great importance for the US national infrastructure. Such objects are of strategic value for the enemy that intends to harm or paralyze the United States infrastructure.
In addition, Chinese spies were interested in the organizations engaged in the transmission and distribution of electricity in Africa. In one of the cases where the Volt Typhoon group penetrated the IT network of the American electricity company, they managed to go unnoticed for more than 300 days.
In early February, the US Federal Agencies have warned the presence of the Volt Typhoon group on some of the country's critical infrastructure networks for at least 5 years. The goals of the spies were the sectors, energy, transport, water supply and sewerage systems in the US and on GUAM. The activity of the group was not limited to the traditional goals of cyber intelligence and data collection, and agencies with great confidence stated that Volt Typhoon was preparing the ground for possible sabotage.