Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela

Summary

US officials said the extraction of Venezuela's president involved cyberattacks that knocked out power in Caracas and disrupted air defense radar. While some reports pointed to a physical blackout bomb, later information indicated that US cyber weapons were used to shut off and quickly restore electricity, leaving some areas near the capture site without power for extended periods. Analysts noted the operation combined cyber effects with kinetic tools like jamming and graphite bombs, exploiting a power grid already weakened by poor maintenance.

Motives

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TTPs

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Description

On January 3, 2026, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was extracted in an operation that US officials said leveraged cyberattacks to trigger power outages and disable air defense radars, according to The New York Times. Shortly after the extraction, US President Donald Trump remarked that the lights of Caracas were largely turned off due to a certain expertise that the United States possesses. Robert Lee, CEO of Dragos, noted that from a technical standpoint the United States could have caused a power outage and disrupted air defenses using a cyberattack on operational technology systems. He referenced the demonstrated ability of hackers to cause significant power outages in Ukraine during 2016 and 2017.

In the days following Maduro’s capture, some mainstream media reports cited military experts who suggested that a graphite bomb, known as a blackout bomb, may have been used to shut down the electricity supply, and Venezuela’s Energy Minister reportedly shared a video showing physical damage to power transmission facilities. However, The New York Times later learned from unnamed officials briefed on the operation that the United States did employ cyber weapons in a mission dubbed Operation Absolute Resolve. According to those officials, hackers acting on behalf of the US government were able to shut off power in Caracas and restore it within a few minutes. While the disruption was limited for most residents, neighborhoods near the military base where Maduro was captured remained without power for up to 36 hours. The Times also reported that the US military relied on cyberattacks to interfere with air defense radar during the operation.

The Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) analyzed the operation and noted that it likely relied on layered effects that combined cyber capabilities with kinetic tools such as jamming and graphite bombs. RUSI highlighted that Venezuela’s power grid was already a strategic vulnerability due to years of infrastructure decay and lack of maintenance. The think tank assessed that while cyber may have provided reconnaissance or specific disruptions, the overall success of the operation was underpinned by a multi‑domain approach where kinetic means remained more certain than hacking alone. This analysis underscores the combination of cyber and kinetic effects described in the reporting.

Sources

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