A closed-door war game held in New York earlier this year simulated a Chinese cyberattack simultaneously knocking out 5,000 US water utilities, testing how insurers and officials would respond to an escalation of Volt Typhoon, a Chinese state-sponsored hacking group. Unlike typical Chinese state hacking, which focuses on espionage, Volt Typhoon has spent roughly three years quietly planting malware inside American critical infrastructure, pre-positioning itself to disrupt power, water and other essential services rather than simply spying on them. WIRED journalist Andy Greenberg, who attended the exercise, said the scenario exposed unsettling gaps in how prepared the US actually is, and raised questions about who would truly be in charge if such an attack occurred.

The war game, described as resembling a tabletop role-playing exercise, involved around 30 insurance executives working under a countdown clock in a Manhattan conference room, designed by a former cybersecurity strategist. The simulated consequences included burst water mains, hospital evacuations and insulin shortages, illustrating how a coordinated cyberattack on civilian infrastructure could cascade into a public health and safety crisis. The piece, presented as a WIRED "Uncanny Valley" podcast transcript featuring hosts Brian Barrett and Andy Greenberg, underscores growing concern that Volt Typhoon's infrastructure infiltration represents a deliberate, long-term threat rather than a hypothetical risk.