Thanksgiving Surprise: When Your Small Town Utility Gets Hacked by China’s Volt Typhoon! 🎉🔌
Nick Lawler got a surprising call from the FBI—his utility company LELWD was hacked by Volt Typhoon. Initially skeptical, Lawler thought it was a scam. But when Homeland Security showed up, he realized it was no joke. This Thanksgiving, instead of turkey, he was served a side of cyber espionage.
Hot Take:
This is why you don’t ignore calls from the FBI, folks! Who knew that Littleton, Massachusetts would become the unexpected poster child for cybersecurity woes? While most people worry about burning the Thanksgiving turkey, Nick Lawler had to worry about fending off Chinese hackers! Remember, nothing says “Happy Thanksgiving” quite like a side dish of cyber-intrusion!
Key Points:
- Littleton Electric Light and Water Departments (LELWD) was compromised by Volt Typhoon, a Chinese government-backed hacking group.
- Nick Lawler, the utility’s general manager, initially thought the FBI’s call was a scam.
- Homeland Security officials and cybersecurity firm Dragos played a crucial role in identifying and addressing the breach.
- LELWD’s vulnerability stemmed from an outdated FortiGate firewall, which was eventually patched.
- The utility cooperated with federal agencies to monitor the breach and reinforce network defenses.
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