Cascading Failure, Unified Defense: Defending Water, Power, Healthcare, & EMS
Alexander Vanino, Ruslan Karimov
Life-critical systems in public safety, healthcare, and emergency services are increasingly targeted by sophisticated state-sponsored Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs). Actors like Volt Typhoon are actively pre-positioning within U.S. critical infrastructure, with confirmed access to water, wastewater systems, power generation and distribution, and telecommunications networks. These groups pose a severe risk of cascading failures that would directly impact public health, emergency medical services, and hospital operations. This presentation dissects the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) of these APTs, explores the potential real-world consequences of compromised water utilities and power infrastructure on community safety, and offers actionable strategies for building resilient defenses and unified incident response plans, even in resource-constrained environments. We will bridge the gap between traditional Incident Command Systems (ICS) and cyber incident response, providing a roadmap for communities to enhance their preparedness against these persistent and evolving threats.