Chinese Scholars Probe for Weaknesses in Western Electricity Grids

Chinese academics are taking a keen interest in the vulnerabilities of America’s energy grid. On June 19, the Czech Technical University in Prague published a paper revealing that Chinese scholars are increasingly focused on modeling cyberattacks against U.S. and European grid infrastructure.

While there is no overt connection between the Chinese studies and Beijing’s ongoing campaign of cyberattacks against American grid and water systems, the review highlights the growing alignment between China’s higher education system and Beijing’s broader geopolitical ambitions.

Chinese Scholars Model How to Cause Cascading Grid Failures

The literature review covered 367 peer-reviewed studies published in major Western academic publications and conference proceedings between 2018 and 2025. The studies modeled attacks on the American electric grid rather than relying on country-neutral grid models, which are often more applicable to Chinese infrastructure. The reviewed documents often failed to outline solutions to identified vulnerabilities, a stark contrast to most Western publications, which typically simulate attacks to propose reforms.

Instead, the Chinese articles largely focused on identifying possible blackout triggers — often via a combination of targeting nodes, triggering surges, and injecting false data into control systems. Taken together, these articles suggest that Chinese academics have increasingly put together an open-source playbook for cyberattacks on Western assets, driving concern among industry experts.

Beijing Harnesses Universities to Advance Military Agenda

The review highlights the intersection of two trends that increasingly define Beijing’s effort to subdue Washington: the integration of Chinese higher education within the country’s military-industrial base and growing attacks against critical infrastructure. Seeking to become a global leader in science and technology, China has poured resources into its university system — a move coinciding with Beijing’s growing support for “Military-Civil Fusion,” a policy that aims to integrate academic research into the country’s military.

These efforts indicate that Beijing seeks to build a higher education system capable of enabling and executing complex cyberattacks. China has long used cyberattacks against U.S. firms and government agencies to steal intellectual property from strategically important sectors. But Chinese threat actors have increasingly targeted infrastructure such as telecommunications, water systems, and electricity grids. These campaigns, headlined by Volt Typhoon in 2024, have successfully provided China with the capacity to exploit access to American critical infrastructure in the event of a military crisis between Washington and Beijing.

Washington Must Strengthen Cyber Defenses, Reverse Budget Cuts

To shore up U.S. cyber defenses, the federal government must reverse cuts to the nation’s premier cyber defense agency, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, as well as the National Institute of Standards and Technology. These organizations can provide information and guidance to grid operators to protect themselves and harden their systems against Chinese cyber aggression.

The United States should also prevent China from exploiting the American higher education system to advance its technical expertise. The Department of Justice should restart the China Initiative, enhancing research security and augmenting the National Science Foundation’s adoption of stringent research security measures.

Jack Burnham is a research analyst in the China Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). Johanna (Jo) Yang is a research and editorial associate at the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation (CCTI) at FDD, where she works on issues related to nation-state cyber threats, critical infrastructure protection, and U.S. cybersecurity policy. For more analysis from Jack, Johanna, and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow Jack on X @JackBurnham802. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.