New Reports Reinforce Cyberattack’s Role in Maduro Capture Blackout

US officials told The New York Times that cyberattacks were used to turn off the lights in Caracas and disrupt air defence radars during the January 3 extraction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Shortly after, The New York Times learned from unnamed officials that hackers operating on behalf of the US government were able to not only shut off the power in Caracas but also restore it within a few minutes.

Some neighbourhoods near the military base where Maduro was captured remained without power for up to 36 hours, the NYT reported. A combination of cyber and kinetic effects is also highlighted by the Royal United Services Institute, which noted that the operation likely relied on layered capabilities that mixed cyber tools with kinetic means such as jamming and graphite bombs.

The analysis stresses that Venezuela’s power grid had long been vulnerable due to infrastructure decay, and while cyber may have provided reconnaissance or targeted disruptions, the operation’s success appears to have depended on a multi‑domain approach.