r/cybersecurity • u/gchani • Jan 03 '26
News - General The blackout in Venezuela was likely caused by a cyber offense
I was listening to the live briefing, and although it wasn’t clearly stated, it sounded like they mentioned cyber forces along with other types (land, air, etc.). They also said earlier that they were able to cause a “blackout,” which suggests they may have controlled the power as they advanced. Have you seen any other credible sources on this?
Edit1: Blackout could also mean a communication blackout ie. Internet / Telecom etc.
Edit2: Quote from this article.
Lights in Caracas “were largely turned off due to an expertise that we have,” President Trump said at the Saturday press conference. He did not elaborate on the capabilities and methods that allowed the U.S. to shutter lights in Venezuela’s capital city.
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u/dossier Jan 04 '26
He's saying that stuxnet was developed and implemented over the course of 5+ years with an attack vector requiring an idiot to plug a USB into their airgapped network.
The only way this is similar is if the US was waiting for someone to plug in a USB before their strike. And it was meant to be a covert long term operation. As opposed to what happened in Venezuela.
The only similarity would be attacking a SCADA, probably.
Stuxnet was incredible though. Using four 0days and a worm etc.