Volt Typhoon Found Inside Massachusetts Electric Utility for Nearly a Year

Industrial cybersecurity firm Dragos has revealed that a small electric and water utility in Massachusetts was breached by a sophisticated Chinese Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) group for over 300 days.

The attack targeted Littleton Electric Light and Water Departments (LELWD), which serves the towns of Littleton and Boxborough. According to a Dragos case study, the APT group, known as Volt Typhoon, had been inside LELWD’s network since February 2023 but was only discovered in November 2023, just before Thanksgiving.

Volt Typhoon, a group linked to the Chinese government, was first publicly identified by Microsoft in May 2023. Since then, the group has been tied to multiple attacks on critical U.S. infrastructure, including energy, water, and communications networks. Dragos tracks a related threat group under the name VOLTZITE, known for attacking industrial entities. 

Strengthening Defenses

At the time of the attack, LELWD had already started working with Dragos to ...