Empire of the Sneaky Foot--How China Invaded the U.S. Power Grid (2009-2023)

Empire of the Sneaky Foot--How China Invaded the U.S. Power Grid (2009-2023)

It began without alarm or gunfire: the invisible blade planted in the U.S. power grid in 2009 - the incident reported by the Wall Street Journal - was more than a simple hack. It was a preparation on the eve of war that infiltrated the nervous system of the nation. The investigation revealed the shadows of two powerful nations, China and Russia. China, in particular, had been silent, but was steadily extending its tentacles deep into the United States.

In 2012, several electric utilities, including those in North Carolina, began to experience unusual problems. Countless phishing emails, strange communication logs, and IPs from China were not intended to be directly disruptive. They were not intended to be directly destructive, just to find a "way in," record an "open door," and stay quiet. It was time for the enemy to draw a map.

Eventually, in 2020, as the SolarWinds incident exploded and the world watched Russia's cyber capabilities, China moved behind the scenes in silence. Power companies, government terminals, operational systems - Chinese-affiliated groups secretly infiltrated them, taking records and placing remote control footholds. Already, the United States was enveloped in an "electronic fog" in which it was impossible to determine who was friend and who was foe.

In 2023, the FBI and NSA announced a national "sneak attack" under the name Operation Volt Typhoon. Hackers backed by the Chinese government used "living off the land" tactics to blend into existing systems by exploiting legitimate tools instead of using malware. They entered with a duplicate key, without breaking down the door. In the Pacific region, especially in Hawaii, they were completely clandestine. They were not poised to attack, but to detonate. They were already there, ready to pull the trigger at any moment.

In this way, the Chinese had penetrated the U.S. power grid over a period of more than a decade. Not "breakthrough," but penetration. It has slipped through every security crack and is slowly taking root in the functioning of the nation. It is invisible and silent, but it is there.

Currently, there are no power outages. Equipment continues to operate. That is why it is so frightening. The enemy is already inside, yet no one sees its hand. In the silence, the poison turns, and a flame dwells in the depths of the electric pulse. The next time it awakens, American cities will lose their light, the water will stop, and a voiceless war may begin.