Countdown to 2027
Dear Undisruptable27 volunteers and members, This season, we invite you to take the moments of connection–whether over family dinner, while spending time with relatives, or celebrating the New Year–a step further with our #UnDisruptableHolidayChallenge. Alongside the fun, consider sparking meaningful discussions about the resources that matter most…. our water, power and hospitals. These essentials keep our communities strong, and the holidays are the perfect time to reflect on how we can protect and support them. The goal is simple: talk with others about the resources we all rely on and consider what life might look like if those resources were limited. By sharing ideas and perspectives, you are helping us learn where to begin and how best to bring this information to the wider community. Every conversation matters, and together we can spark awareness that leads to action. From all of us, we wish you joy, laughter and thoughtful conversations so that we will continue being UnDisruptable this holiday season and in the future.
Mission Objective
We want to attempt initial, simple awareness to surface reactions/questions/objections and report back… not have a full set of answers
Why?
Americans may not have heard of Volt Typhoon or don’t know that China may disrupt U.S. water and power as early as 2027. And if they do… they sincerely (but falsely) assume it either wouldn’t affect them or that the government would handle it… If they want “some relief” right now: they can be more aware, listen closer to future stories and updates, maybe do some modest preparation in their homes… (these steps can be useful for ANY accident, any cyber-attack, or any natural disaster). As this project unfolds, we will be publishing more and better advice for individuals, towns, counties, states, and the federal government….
Picture your hospital...(The effects of delayed degraded care)
Water Interdependence and the Fragility of Basic Human Needs
A 60 Minutes piece on the Littleton, MA compromise by Volt Typhoon
In October, CBS’s 60 Minutes program focused on the threats to U.S. critical infrastructure in a 13-minute segment.
Critical Effect DC
Critical Effect, a 2-day conference we hosted in June 2025, has some great talks to watch, oriented towards industry.
BSidesLV
BSidesLV in August 2025 featured the I Am the Cavalry track, which focuses on security issues that can affect public safety and human life, across our domains: Transportation, Healthcare, Infrastructure, and Home IoT. Our discussions covered technical, public policy, societal, and media topics. Watch Josh Corman’s closing talk on the next phase of UnDisruptable27.
- For holiday gifts, I’m buying each of you some water filtration in case we see disruptions in 2027… Have you heard of Volt Typhoon?
- Did any of you see the 60 Minutes Piece on Volt Typhoon and the water compromise in Littleton, MA – as well as the compromises threatening hundreds of other average, every day American towns? I know a little about this…
- Hey Susan, you work in a hospital… I hear that no water means no hospital in approx. 2-4 hours… Why is that? This project I help with, called UnDisruptable27, is tracking a real risk of this as early as 2027……
- Hey, when we all lose power in the winter, we use generators… but what if we lose water? As a matter of fact, we might as early as 2027……
- Are you all tracking the expected conflict between China and Taiwan? Part of China’s war plan is that they’ve compromised U.S. water to “keep the US out of their fight”… it’s pretty outrageous. How much have you all heard? I’m involved in this non-profit effort called UnDisruptable27.org.
- Hey can I show you a 2 minute video? Afterwards, can we chat a bit about it? It’s public info, but almost no one is talking about it—or prepared for it… and it is not that far away.
- “But why 2027? Why China?” // A: China seeks to reunify with Taiwan “as early as 2027.” As part of this, their army began a cyber campaign called Volt Typhoon to deter or delay U.S. participation in their conflict with Taiwan. The actual timeline may be 2028-2030, but we’re not taking chances with our loved ones or fellow citizens. Further, while China has a declared timeline, we’ve also seen water attacks from Russia and Iran.
- “If this is from their army, wouldn’t our military or government handle this?” // A: Fair question. Unfortunately, we’re largely on our own in domestic cyberspace defense. U.S. Cyber Command gets involved in offense and outward-facing campaigns, but we do not have a defensive cybersecurity branch of the U.S. military. CISA.gov can advise and inform, but around 85% of U.S. critical infrastructure is privately owned & operated. Most of our lifeline functions like water have voluntary cybersecurity practices with very low participation (e.g. water is under 1 in its official information sharing body). The cavalry isn’t coming this time… we’re on our own.
- “They wouldn’t target my town, we’re too small.” // A: One of the objectives of Volt Typhoon is to sow chaos among civilians and to undermine public support for U.S. intervention in China’s Taiwan intentions. The public 60 Minutes piece above covers an attack by Volt Typhoon that compromised the 10,000 person town of Littleton, Massachusetts. Affecting everyday Americans is kind of the point…
- “Why haven’t we heard more about these? Wouldn’t we see the damage on the news?” // A: Really fair question. Volt Typhoon is what we call an access campaign. It has infiltrated these utilities providing water, power, and other critical functions, but has not triggered a damaging payload… yet. The access is such that they can use this foothold at a time and place of their choosing and/or need. It’s a bit like a remote detonation explosive waiting patiently for its trigger. If this makes you uncomfortable… that is a likely and legitimate response.
- “What’s the worst that could happen?” // A: Great question. UnDisruptable27 is identifying and mitigating the highest consequence scenarios. One we are sharing is: No water, no hospital, no kidding, within 2 to 4 hrs. An intentional overpressurization or water hammer could burst water mains supporting time sensitive access to emergency care in many of the nation’s 6,000 hospitals. No water also means no fire hydrants, no coffee, no showers, no toilets… Did we mention no coffee?
- These and many more are covered in several of our talks, on our website, and will be rolling out over the next few months… if you get new ones, GREAT… bring them back to us!
Visit UnDisruptable27.org to learn more and track the project over time.
Join the UnDisruptable27 Slack channel to join us in our efforts.
Subscribe to the monthly UnDisruptable27 newsletter.