Volt Typhoon Strikes Back: Cisco & Netgear Sweat as China Hacks Hard

This is your Cyber Sentinel: Beijing Watch podcast.

Hey listeners, Ting here! Let’s dive right into the digital pulse of China’s cyber ops this week on Cyber Sentinel: Beijing Watch—no chitchat, just signal.

First up, the Volt Typhoon group is back in the headlines, and boy, are Cisco and Netgear sweating. These Chinese state-backed hackers have been hammering away at U.S. critical infrastructure, resuscitating their KV-botnet post-FBI takedown earlier this year. According to SecurityScorecard’s STRIKE Team, in just over a month they hijacked about 30% of all online-facing Cisco RV320/325 routers during a September push. What makes this spike particularly nasty is their method—exploiting end-of-life small office routers and forgotten IoT devices. They use MIPS-based malware that blends in by communicating over standard ports, so unless you’re watching closely, those bots are hiding in plain sight. The aim? Strategic footholds they can use to pre-position for serious disruptions or even destructive attacks down the road. FBI chief Christopher Wray didn’t mince words, calling Volt Typhoon "the defining threat of our generation" in testimony to Congress.

If you think it’s just the tech supply chain, think again. This week, a Chinese-speaking APT, UAT-7237, got caught slipping customized open-source tools onto Taiwanese web servers, aiming for stealthy, persistent access—think squatters, not smash-and-grab artists. Cisco Talos says this group’s activity dates back three years, which means long-term planning and probably overlapping ops with other PLA-linked units focusing on reconnaissance and data staging.

Another arena heating up is the underwater battlefield. Defense News highlighted how People’s Liberation Army Navy strategists are openly discussing how to sabotage the U.S. Integrated Undersea Surveillance System. We’re not just talking submarines; it’s unmanned undersea vehicles like the HSU-001 and environmental drones launched from fishing fleets, all feeding the big red data machine. That’s dual-use at its finest—civilian tech beefing up military recon or possibly plugging the gaps before a kinetic showdown. Plus, cyber capabilities could aid in disrupting command and control of these underwater networks. Hudson Institute fellow Bryan Clark points out the daunting operational costs for Beijing but warns that hitting a few nodes could paralyze the entire U.S. undersea surveillance web.

As for defenses—listen up, especially anyone running SOHO hardware or involved in government contracting. CIS recommends reviewing CIS Benchmarks and replacing outdated routers. Segmenting IoT from main operations is crucial. Disable remote admin on aging gear if you can’t replace it and keep firmware squeaky clean. For defense contractors, CMMC 2.0 is about to land hard; the DoD has already moved regulations toward final approval. If you’re bidding for government work after October, expect cybersecurity mandates to be legally required, not suggested.

At a tactical level, these ongoing probes and persistent footholds are mapping out weaknesses for later rapid escalation, particularly for critical infrastructure nodes—think power, water, and logistics. Strategically, Beijing’s blending of civilian and military assets, plus relentless cyber reconnaissance, signals a doctrine aimed at paralyzing U.S. responses before any overt conflict.

Thanks for tuning in to Cyber Sentinel: Beijing Watch! Don’t forget to subscribe—you don’t want to miss the zingers or the zero-days. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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