The Caracas operation suggests cyber was part of the plan \u2013 just not the whole operation | CyberScoop<\/title> <meta name=\"description\" content=\"Was the Caracas power outage a "precision cyberattack" or something more physical? Experts weigh in on the visible kinetic damage to Vene.zuelan substations during Operation Absolute Resolve.\"> <link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/venezuela-blackout-cyberattack-vs-kinetic-damage-operation-absolute-resolve\/\"> <meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\"> <meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\"> <meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Caracas operation suggests cyber was part of the plan \u2013 just not the whole operation\"> <meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Was the Caracas power outage a "precision cyberattack" or something more physical? Experts weigh in on the visible kinetic damage to Vene.zuelan substations during Operation Absolute Resolve.\"> <meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/venezuela-blackout-cyberattack-vs-kinetic-damage-operation-absolute-resolve\/\"> <meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"CyberScoop\"> <meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/cyberscoop\/\"> <meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-19T11:00:00+00:00\"> <meta name=\"author\" content=\"Greg Otto\"> <meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\"> <meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/the-caracas-operation-suggests-cyber-was-part-of-the-plan-just-not-the-whole-operation-1.jpg\"> <meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@gregotto\"> <meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@CyberScoopNews\">  <link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"\/\/securepubads.g.doubleclick.net\">\n<link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"\/\/use.typekit.net\">\n<link rel=\"alternate\" type=\"application\/rss+xml\" title=\"CyberScoop \u00bb Feed\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/feed\/\">\n<link rel=\"alternate\" type=\"application\/rss+xml\" title=\"CyberScoop \u00bb Comments Feed\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/comments\/feed\/\"> <link rel=\"stylesheet\" id=\"all-css-2\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-includes\/css\/dist\/block-library\/style.min.css?m=1770142553g\" type=\"text\/css\" media=\"all\"> <link rel=\"stylesheet\" id=\"all-css-6\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-content\/mu-plugins\/search\/elasticpress\/dist\/css\/related-posts-block-styles.min.css?m=1771335878g\" type=\"text\/css\" media=\"all\"> <link rel=\"stylesheet\" id=\"all-css-8\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-content\/themes\/scoopnewsgroup\/dist\/css\/frontend.css?m=1767808656g\" type=\"text\/css\" media=\"all\">\n<link rel=\"stylesheet\" id=\"typekit-css\" href=\"https:\/\/use.typekit.net\/itk2qbh.css?ver=13897d660a0ac2c9c7d1\" media=\"all\"> <link rel=\"https:\/\/api.w.org\/\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-json\/\"><link rel=\"alternate\" title=\"JSON\" type=\"application\/json\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87824\"><meta name=\"generator\" content=\"WordPress 6.8.3\">\n<link rel=\"shortlink\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/?p=87824\">\n<link rel=\"alternate\" title=\"oEmbed (JSON)\" type=\"application\/json+oembed\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-json\/oembed\/1.0\/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcyberscoop.com%2Fvenezuela-blackout-cyberattack-vs-kinetic-damage-operation-absolute-resolve%2F\">\n<link rel=\"alternate\" title=\"oEmbed (XML)\" type=\"text\/xml+oembed\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-json\/oembed\/1.0\/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcyberscoop.com%2Fvenezuela-blackout-cyberattack-vs-kinetic-damage-operation-absolute-resolve%2F&format=xml\">   <link rel=\"icon\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/cropped-cs_favicon-2.png?w=32\" sizes=\"32x32\">\n<link rel=\"icon\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/cropped-cs_favicon-2.png?w=192\" sizes=\"192x192\">\n<link rel=\"apple-touch-icon\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/cropped-cs_favicon-2.png?w=180\">\n<meta name=\"msapplication-TileImage\" content=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/cropped-cs_favicon-2.png?w=270\"> <\/head><body class=\"wp-singular post-template-default single single-post postid-87824 single-format-standard wp-theme-scoopnewsgroup wp-child-theme-cyberscoop\" id=\"readabilityBody\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/venezuela-blackout-cyberattack-vs-kinetic-damage-operation-absolute-resolve\/#main\" class=\"skip-to-content-link visually-hidden-focusable\">Skip to main content<\/a> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--top ad--top-desktop\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <main id=\"main\" role=\"main\" tabindex=\"-1\"> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--top ad--top-mobile\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<section id=\"stickybar\" class=\"stickybar stickybar--newsletter js-stickybar\" readability=\"0.82\"> <button class=\"stickybar__close js-stickybar-close\" aria-controls=\"stickybar\"> <svg class=\"icon icon--close\" width=\"21\" height=\"22\" viewBox=\"0 0 21 22\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"m.822.518-.805.805L9.695 11 .017 20.678l.805.805 9.678-9.678 9.677 9.678.806-.805L11.305 11l9.678-9.677-.806-.805-9.677 9.677L.822.518Z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><\/svg> <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Close<\/span> <\/button> <\/section>\n<article class=\"single-article content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__container js-single-article-content\">\n<header class=\"single-article__header \" readability=\"25.586206896552\">\n<div class=\"single-article__header-content\" readability=\"33.936305732484\">\n<ul class=\"single-article__eyebrow\">\n<li class=\"single-article__category\"> <a class=\"single-article__category-link\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/venezuela-blackout-cyberattack-vs-kinetic-damage-operation-absolute-resolve\/\"> <span>Government<\/span> <\/a> <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> A \u201cprecision cyber strike\u201d makes for a clean narrative. The available evidence in the wake of the operation suggests something harder to label \u2013 and harder to learn from. <\/p>\n<p>  <br \/>\n<audio id=\"audio-player\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-tts-cdn.api.scpnewsgrp.com\/cyberscoop\/87824\/english.openai.mp3\"><\/audio> <\/p>\n<div readability=\"11\">\n<div>\n<p>Listen to this article<\/p>\n<p>  <\/p>\n<p>0:00<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>  <\/p>\n<p> <span id=\"tts-tooltip\">Learn more.<\/span> <span> This feature uses an automated voice, which may result in occasional errors in pronunciation, tone, or sentiment. <\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>  <\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__cover-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"single-article__cover\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/the-caracas-operation-suggests-cyber-was-part-of-the-plan-just-not-the-whole-operation.jpg?resize=640%2C426&ssl=1\" class=\"single-article__cover-image wp-post-image\" alt decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/the-caracas-operation-suggests-cyber-was-part-of-the-plan-just-not-the-whole-operation-1.jpg 6009w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/the-caracas-operation-suggests-cyber-was-part-of-the-plan-just-not-the-whole-operation-1.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/the-caracas-operation-suggests-cyber-was-part-of-the-plan-just-not-the-whole-operation-1.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/the-caracas-operation-suggests-cyber-was-part-of-the-plan-just-not-the-whole-operation-1.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/the-caracas-operation-suggests-cyber-was-part-of-the-plan-just-not-the-whole-operation-1.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/the-caracas-operation-suggests-cyber-was-part-of-the-plan-just-not-the-whole-operation-1.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/the-caracas-operation-suggests-cyber-was-part-of-the-plan-just-not-the-whole-operation-1.jpg?resize=600,400 600w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/the-caracas-operation-suggests-cyber-was-part-of-the-plan-just-not-the-whole-operation-1.jpg?resize=252,168 252w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/the-caracas-operation-suggests-cyber-was-part-of-the-plan-just-not-the-whole-operation-1.jpg?resize=506,337 506w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/the-caracas-operation-suggests-cyber-was-part-of-the-plan-just-not-the-whole-operation-1.jpg?resize=1013,675 1013w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/the-caracas-operation-suggests-cyber-was-part-of-the-plan-just-not-the-whole-operation-1.jpg?resize=1265,843 1265w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1013px) 100vw, 1013px\"><figcaption> The silhouette of a man is seen with the city of Caracas in the background on January 9, 2026. Experts say that while President Donald Trump says that cyber weapons were used to plunge Caracas into darkness, multiple military elements were used in the operation. (Photo by Federico PARRA \/ AFP via Getty Images) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"single-article__content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__content-inner has-drop-cap\"> <html readability=\"130.7905904059\"><body readability=\"263.13774965069\"><\/p>\n<p>The dominant narrative has framed the Jan. 3 Caracas power outage during the mission to capture Venezuelan leader Nicol\u00e1s Maduro as a \u201cprecision cyberattack.\u201d But publicly available information points to a more complicated picture: videos, photographs, and accounts published from Caracas show significant physical damage to at least three Venezuelan substations. Experts who reviewed that material say the observed kinetic damage could, on its own, account for the outages\u2014raising questions about how much of the outage can be confidently attributed to cyber activity alone.<\/p>\n<p>These experts say Operation Absolute Resolve appears to have involved more than a stand-alone \u201ccyber blackout,\u201d despite the framing of many early accounts. In their view, cyber operations may have played some role, but the visible physical attacks alone could plausibly explain the outages\u2014and that kinetic dimension is largely absent from the dominant narrative.<\/p>\n<p>Retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery, a former director of operations at US Indo-Pacific Command and now a senior cybersecurity expert at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, described the outage to CyberScoop as part of \u201ca campaign that likely took months to source cyber targets, days to work kinetic targets, and then integrated them into a single campaign plan that took a night.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>How the outage is framed matters because it can shape accountability, influence how governments and utilities prioritize grid security, and affect perceptions of offensive cyber capabilities. If the episode is widely presented as a \u201ccyber-only\u201d success without clear, corroborated evidence, it may encourage outsized conclusions about what cyber tools can accomplish on their own. Over time, that framing can steer policy and spending toward the wrong lessons\u2014emphasizing digital defenses while giving less attention to physical vulnerabilities that may be just as consequential.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-cyber-blackout-became-the-headline\">How \u2018cyber blackout\u2019 became the headline<\/h4>\n<p>Immediate coverage of the operation largely treated cyber as the decisive cause of the outage. Much of that framing traced back to a cryptic line from President Donald Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=taHxIQ1xMUw\"> at a post-operation press conference<\/a>: \u201cIt was dark, the lights of Caracas were largely turned off due to a <em>certain expertise<\/em> [emphasis added] that we have, it was dark, and it was deadly.\u201d (Later Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/nation\/trump-says-u-s-used-secret-discombobulator-on-venezuelan-equipment-during-maduro-raid\">suggested<\/a> that the lights were turned out in Caracas by a \u201cdiscombobulator.\u201d)<\/p>\n<p>The cyber narrative gained further momentum when Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said at the same press conference that US Cyber Command and Space Command provided \u201clayering effects\u201d for the operation. One widely <a>cited <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/01\/15\/us\/politics\/cyberattack-venezuela-military.html\">report<\/a> went further, citing anonymous \u201cpeople briefed on the matter\u201d to assert that a US cyberattack caused the blackout without offering forensic evidence, technical details, or independent corroboration.<\/p>\n<p>Neither the Pentagon nor Cyber Command has yet to publicly confirm that a cyberattack caused the grid outage. US Cyber Command referred CyberScoop to the Department of War, which did not respond to our queries.<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-grid-damage-is-visible-not-virtual\">The grid damage is visible, not virtual<\/h4>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>While cyber attribution largely rested on anonymous sourcing and inference, the evidence of physical damage was public, visual, and documented shortly after the attack.<\/p>\n<p>Beginning on Jan. 5, publicly shared <a href=\"https:\/\/t.me\/minenergia_ve\/4807\">videos<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/LoLManya\/status\/2010121181840715958\">photos<\/a> appeared to show extensive physical damage at substations in Caracas owned by the government\u2019s energy utility company, Corpoelec. The images included apparent bullet impacts, destroyed equipment, blown doors, and oil leaks at the Panamericana 69 kV and Escuela Militar 4.8 kV sites. In Venezuelan government <a href=\"https:\/\/mppee.gob.ve\/?p=103279\">statements<\/a>, officials attributed the incidents to an attack and said the damage took multiple transmission lines out of service, including the OAM-Vega Caricuao-Panamericana 1 and 2 (69 kV) and Junquito-Panamericana 1 and 2 (69 kV). Electric grid security experts who reviewed the footage told CyberScoop it appeared credible and consistent with the kind of damage that could contribute to localized outages.<\/p>\n<p>Local journalists <a href=\"https:\/\/www.caracaschronicles.com\/2026\/01\/12\/the-12-targets-the-us-hit-in-venezuela\/\">noted<\/a> physical attacks on these facilities, as well as a third substation at Fuerte Tiuna, a military installation in Caracas. Videos showing damage to the Fuerte Tiuna substation\u2014some with fires still burning\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=CjDdr2anTpE\">were uploaded<\/a> to YouTube on Jan. 12. AirWars, a not-for-profit group that describes itself as a civilian harm watchdog in conflict-affected nations, <a href=\"https:\/\/airwars.org\/civilian-casualties\/usven260103g-january-3-2026\/\">confirmed<\/a> the geolocation of the affected substations and said \u201cheavy weapons and explosive munitions\u201d were used, though it reported no civilian harm.<\/p>\n<p>The Venezuelan government did not respond to CyberScoop\u2019s requests for comment, but it said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/mppee.gob.ve\/?p=103285\">press release<\/a> that the damage was caused by \u201cmissiles.\u201d Several experts with military or electric-sector cybersecurity backgrounds told CyberScoop that, based on what\u2019s visible in the videos, the damage appears consistent with a kinetic attack\u2014most likely carried out via helicopters and planes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere were obviously pretty large .50-caliber bullet holes in the walls,\u201d Earl Shockley, president and CEO of INPOWERD, a military veteran and cybersecurity expert who worked for forty years as a power-grid operations engineer, told CyberScoop after viewing one of the videos.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s a kinetic attack,\u201d FDD\u2019s Montgomery told CyberScoop after watching video of the Fuerte Tiuna substation incident.<\/p>\n<p>Across interviews, grid operators, cybersecurity specialists, and military experts independently reached the same conclusion: the visible physical damage alone was enough to cause the outages observed.<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-an-easy-target-cyber-or-not\">An easy target, cyber or not<\/h4>\n<p>Experts note that cyber operations can sometimes produce kinetic effects\u2014as they did in the highly complex US-Israeli <a href=\"https:\/\/homeland.house.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/2025-07-22-CIP-Testimony.pdf\">operation<\/a> known as Stuxnet\u2014but they also say that taking down Caracas\u2019s already fragile power grid would not necessarily have required that level of sophistication.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll of us who are electric sector people, we\u2019ve seen the videos,\u201d Patrick Miller, president and CEO of Ampyx Cyber, told CyberScoop. \u201cWe\u2019re all pretty much convinced that would definitely cause an outage. If you\u2019re going to go in and shoot up the substations, why do you need cyber again?\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Miller said that temporarily disrupting the flow of power is a well-understood capability for any nation with the interest to do it\u2013and that it often requires almost no precision or skill. \u201cThese are fragile systems, he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis was not a hard cyber target,\u201d Montgomery said. \u201cIt\u2019s an easy cyber target. These are older systems that we have worked on before in other countries. They\u2019re not unique. We\u2019re not talking about taking down Idaho National Labs here. We\u2019re talking about taking down a poorly defended, underfunded, under-resourced network.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ron Brash, operational technology and industrial control system expert, told CyberScoop, \u201cThese energy management systems are probably relatively easy to infiltrate either because they haven\u2019t updated the software or updated what they need to update, and you can exploit the vulnerabilities, or because you buy insider access.\u201d Moreover, he said, \u201cThere\u2019s probably so much analog stuff in there from the 1960s.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-cyber-to-blind-kinetic-to-break\">Cyber to blind, kinetic to break<\/h4>\n<p>Experts generally agree that physical damage likely disabled at least parts of the power grid. But they also think cyber activity may still have played an important supporting role in Operation Absolute Resolve\u2014one that could have enabled or amplified the operation, even if it wouldn\u2019t fully account for where the outages occurred or how long they lasted without accompanying physical damage.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Some experts say that it\u2019s possible the US used cyber capabilities to briefly disrupt power transmission in specific areas\u2014potentially to reduce Venezuelan defenders\u2019 situational awareness as they moved toward Maduro\u2019s compound. \u201cYou want to reduce situational awareness, blind the enemy, break their coordination, and enable yourself to maneuver where you need to be. And all of those things just played out with that operation,\u201d Shockley said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf we shut down the radars, if we shut down the power grid, they don\u2019t see what\u2019s going on,\u201d he said. \u201cThen we do some kinetic damage to prevent them from bringing the grid back up quickly. That way, we have plenty of time to do what we need to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA cyberattack is reversible, so it\u2019s temporary,\u201d Montgomery said. \u201cIt\u2019s possible that cyber was attempted to take down power stations and equipment before the missiles came in to take down the power stations and equipment,\u201d he added. \u201cYou have missiles coming in and taking down power, so nothing works. And before that, you do cyber so that more of your missiles get through. It is kind of a layer to the attack.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Vice Adm. <a href=\"https:\/\/defensescoop.com\/2025\/09\/05\/heidi-berg-fleet-cyber-command-commander-trump-nominee\/\">Heidi Berg<\/a>, commander of 10th Fleet\/Fleet Cyber Command, hinted at such layering at the WEST conference in San Diego <a href=\"https:\/\/breakingdefense.com\/2026\/02\/venezuela-operation-relied-on-little-known-cyber-center-official-says\/\">earlier this week<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Cyber-based surveillance may also have been used for months in advance, giving the US military visibility into the grid\u2019s weak points and helping inform where kinetic strikes have the greatest effect. \u201cIt takes months to identify what the system does, what the software does, do we have access to their older systems,\u201d and so forth, Montgomery said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cIf you monitor that system, you learn where the power flows go, you learn where the single points of failure are, you learn that if this thing blows up, man, I\u2019m in trouble because I can\u2019t get power from this area to that area,\u201d Shockley said.<\/p>\n<p>Trump said at the press briefing that the lights went out in Caracas, and some coverage interpreted that as widespread darkness across large parts of the city. That framing sits uneasily with the idea of narrowly targeted, area-specific disruption. At the same time, social media posts and news accounts from the incident did not indicate that a large portion of Caracas was plunged into darkness.<\/p>\n<p>Valentina Aguana, a Venezuelan digital rights advocate and systems engineer now working in Spain, told CyberScoop that a widespread blackout \u201cwas never a thing for my team working in Venezuela. There were very few areas in which the power went down and it came back on in a few minutes,\u201d which you would expect with a pure cyberattack. \u201cAll the areas that were left without power were left without power for a couple of hours,\u201d she added, which experts say is consistent with a kinetic attack.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI haven\u2019t seen any real proof or even correlating proof that the outage was widespread,\u201d Miller said, adding that he has an extensive network of electric system security contacts throughout South America.<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-gets-lost-in-a-cyber-only-framing\">What gets lost in a cyber-only framing<\/h4>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Given how quickly and widely videos, press releases, and other confirmation of physical damage to the Venezuelan substations circulated, it remains unclear why so many outlets gave little attention to the kinetic dimension of the outage.<\/p>\n<p>Whatever the source of the omissions, recent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/01\/27\/us\/politics\/pentagon-computer-warfare.html\">reporting<\/a> on Pentagon computer warfare doctrine has underscored that cyber operations are increasingly designed to shape battlefield conditions rather than function as stand-alone weapons, an approach that aligns with the expert assessments of the role of kinetic attacks in the Caracas operation.<\/p>\n<p>However, continued accounts of what happened in Caracas that treat the sabotage as primarily \u201ccyber\u201d could skew risk assessments and preparedness\u2014potentially leaving substations, transmission lines, and transformers less protected than they should be against the kind of real-world attacks that visible damage suggests are possible.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis was a very complex thing, and it wasn\u2019t just one thing; it wasn\u2019t just a cyberattack,\u201d Shockley said. \u201cIn my industry, we have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cisa.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/2023-02\/Sector%20Spotlight%20Electricity%20Substation%20Physical%20Security_508.pdf\">regulations<\/a> around how we\u2019re supposed to protect our critical infrastructure, our substations, our power plants, our control centers. Physical security is a big thing that we do. We do physical security inspections, and we make recommendations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><\/body> <\/p>\n<footer class=\"single-article__footer\" readability=\"1.8540268456376\">\n<div class=\"author-card\" readability=\"10\">\n<div class=\"author-card__avatar\">\n<figure class=\"author-card__image-wrap\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"author-card__image\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/the-caracas-operation-suggests-cyber-was-part-of-the-plan-just-not-the-whole-operation.png?w=640&ssl=1\" alt=\"Cynthia Brumfield\"> <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h4 class=\"author-card__name\">Written by Cynthia Brumfield<\/h4>\n<p> Cynthia Brumfield is a veteran communications and technology analyst who is now focused on<br \/>\ncybersecurity. She runs a cybersecurity news and information site, Metacurity.com. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__tags-container\">\n<h4 class=\"single-article__tags-title\">In This Story<\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<p> <\/html><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__ads js-single-article-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-5 ad--rightrail_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-4 ad--rightrail_2 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-3 ad--rightrail_3 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"popular-stories popular-stories--single-post\">\n<div class=\"popular-stories__container\">\n<h2 class=\"popular-stories__title\"> More Scoops <\/h2>\n<p>  <\/div>\n<p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<section class=\"latest-podcasts\">\n<h2 class=\"latest-podcasts__title\"> Latest Podcasts\t<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"top-categories\">\n<div class=\"top-categories__container\">\n<h3 class=\"top-categories__category-title\">Government<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"top-categories__container\">\n<h3 class=\"top-categories__category-title\">Technology<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <\/main> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--bottom \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"interstitial\" class=\"welcome__container\"> <button id=\"close-modal-1\" class=\"welcome__clickable_area\"><\/button> <\/p>\n<div class=\"welcome__ad_wrapper\">\n<p> <button id=\"close-modal-3\" class=\"welcome__continue-button\">Continue to CyberScoop<\/button> <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>   <\/body> <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/venezuela-blackout-cyberattack-vs-kinetic-damage-operation-absolute-resolve\/\">Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Caracas operation suggests cyber was part of the plan<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4885,78,302,117,6003,874,3457,1,1600],"tags":[4890,86,306,119,6004,876,3459,325,1602],"class_list":["post-8365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cyber-offense","category-cybersecurity","category-geopolitics","category-government","category-operation-absolute-resolve","category-operational-technology","category-stuxnet","category-uncategorized","category-venezuela","tag-cyber-offense","tag-cybersecurity","tag-geopolitics","tag-government","tag-operation-absolute-resolve","tag-operational-technology","tag-stuxnet","tag-uncategorized","tag-venezuela"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":"","thumbnail":"","medium":"","medium_large":"","large":"","1536x1536":"","2048x2048":"","chromenews-featured":"","chromenews-large":"","chromenews-medium":""},"author_info":{"display_name":"Cyber Scoop","author_link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/author\/cyberscoop\/"},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/cyber-offense\/\" rel=\"category tag\">cyber offense<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/cybersecurity\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Cybersecurity<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/geopolitics\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Geopolitics<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/government\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Government<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/operation-absolute-resolve\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Operation Absolute Resolve<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/operational-technology\/\" rel=\"category tag\">operational technology<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/stuxnet\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Stuxnet<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/uncategorized\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Uncategorized<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/venezuela\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Venezuela<\/a>","tag_info":"Venezuela","comment_count":"0","jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8365","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8365"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8365\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8365"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

{"id":8365,"date":"2026-02-19T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/?p=87824"},"modified":"2026-02-19T05:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T11:00:00","slug":"the-caracas-operation-suggests-cyber-was-part-of-the-plan-just-not-the-whole-operation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/2026\/02\/19\/the-caracas-operation-suggests-cyber-was-part-of-the-plan-just-not-the-whole-operation\/","title":{"rendered":"The Caracas operation suggests cyber was part of the plan \u2013 just not the whole operation"},"content":{"rendered":"