A brazen cyberattack, reportedly carried out by US hackers, has plunged the Latin American nation of Venezuela into darkness. The sudden blackout, which left Caracas without power for several hours, is believed to have been triggered by a sophisticated cyberattack on the country's electrical grid.
The attack, which took place during a surprise military operation that ousted Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro and his wife, was first hinted at by US President Donald Trump in a news conference. "It was dark, the lights of Caracas were largely turned off due to a certain expertise that we have," Trump said, without elaborating further.
However, it is now reported that the US government has officially acknowledged its involvement in the cyberattack. According to The New York Times, US Cyber Command carried out the operation as part of what was dubbed "Operation Absolute Resolve." The exact details of the attack remain unclear, but officials confirm that power was restored quickly and without fatalities.
The incident marks a significant escalation by the US government in its use of cyber warfare against foreign adversaries. Prior to this, only Russia's notorious hacker group known as Sandworm had been linked to similar attacks on other countries' power grids.
While the reasons behind the attack are still unclear, analysts point out that it was likely intended to create chaos and disrupt the country's ability to function in a state of emergency. "If you and I put ourselves in the Captain America chair and decide to go to war with someone, we might turn off power and communications to give ourselves a strategic and tactical advantage," said Tom Bossert, Trump's former top cyber official.
As investigations continue into the circumstances surrounding the attack, questions are also being raised about how much vetting was done on ICE officer candidates. Journalist Laura Jedeed applied for the job while covering an ICE recruitment expo but didn't expect to be hired despite her negative views of the agency and the Trump administration. Her story highlights concerns over the lack of thoroughness in the hiring process.
Additionally, a report by 404 Media has revealed that Palantir's partnership with DHS is enabling ICE agents to use an app called ELITE to identify potential targets and decide on which neighborhoods to focus their raids. The tool is believed to provide a map with human targets and confidence scores based on data sources ingested from official sources and surveillance.
Lastly, Iranian activists have found a way to stay online despite the country's notorious internet shutdown by using smuggled Starlink satellite internet devices.
The attack, which took place during a surprise military operation that ousted Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro and his wife, was first hinted at by US President Donald Trump in a news conference. "It was dark, the lights of Caracas were largely turned off due to a certain expertise that we have," Trump said, without elaborating further.
However, it is now reported that the US government has officially acknowledged its involvement in the cyberattack. According to The New York Times, US Cyber Command carried out the operation as part of what was dubbed "Operation Absolute Resolve." The exact details of the attack remain unclear, but officials confirm that power was restored quickly and without fatalities.
The incident marks a significant escalation by the US government in its use of cyber warfare against foreign adversaries. Prior to this, only Russia's notorious hacker group known as Sandworm had been linked to similar attacks on other countries' power grids.
While the reasons behind the attack are still unclear, analysts point out that it was likely intended to create chaos and disrupt the country's ability to function in a state of emergency. "If you and I put ourselves in the Captain America chair and decide to go to war with someone, we might turn off power and communications to give ourselves a strategic and tactical advantage," said Tom Bossert, Trump's former top cyber official.
As investigations continue into the circumstances surrounding the attack, questions are also being raised about how much vetting was done on ICE officer candidates. Journalist Laura Jedeed applied for the job while covering an ICE recruitment expo but didn't expect to be hired despite her negative views of the agency and the Trump administration. Her story highlights concerns over the lack of thoroughness in the hiring process.
Additionally, a report by 404 Media has revealed that Palantir's partnership with DHS is enabling ICE agents to use an app called ELITE to identify potential targets and decide on which neighborhoods to focus their raids. The tool is believed to provide a map with human targets and confidence scores based on data sources ingested from official sources and surveillance.
Lastly, Iranian activists have found a way to stay online despite the country's notorious internet shutdown by using smuggled Starlink satellite internet devices.
. I mean, think about it - what's really going on here? Maybe it was just a cyberattack that went wrong, and the US wasn't even directly involved 
. And what about Russia and their Sandworm hacker group? Why aren't they getting the same level of scrutiny for their alleged cyberattacks? 
. That's some serious bias right there! The fact that she was even considered for the job shows that the vetting process is a lot more lax than people think 
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It's like something straight out of a sci-fi movie - agents using an app to identify targets and track down people based on surveillance data. It's time to stop playing these games, folks! We need more transparency around how our government is using technology 
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. That's the real story here - not US hackers and Venezuela, but the people who are actually fighting for their rights in the face of oppression 
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like what just happened in Venezuela?! I'm shocked someone did that! Cyberattack is so bad, I hope the people there are okay 
and can get their power back ASAP 
. A cyberattack that caused a blackout in Caracas? That's not just some random hack, it's like they're trying to send a message or create chaos 
. And the US is involved? That's not good, especially with Trump at the helm 
It's like, what are they even checking for? This is getting out of hand. We need to make sure our law enforcement agencies are doing things by the book, not some secret program that's just gonna target specific communities.
. That's what I call resistance 
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Just gotta stay informed and keep talking about it 
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So Venezuela just had this huge cyberattack that left them in the dark lol and now it's been confirmed that US hackers did it! 
I mean I'm all for a good game of cat and mouse between nations but this is getting intense! 
What's next? Is this going to be a global cyber war?! 
And what's with the lack of transparency around vetting processes for ICE officer candidates? That's a major red flag, fam! 
And what's with all these stories about vetting for ICE officer candidates? Is that just a smokescreen while they're actually training agents on new surveillance tech? 
I mean, Palantir's got some shady connections with DHS already, so this ELITE app sounds like the perfect tool for them to use. And let's not forget those Iranian activists using smuggled Starlink internet... are they just using this as a way to stay connected and resist the government, or is there something more to it? 
I mean, think about it, when we turn off power and communications, don't we become more vulnerable to manipulation? It's like, how much control do we have over our own narrative? And then there's the issue of vetting for ICE officer candidates... what does that say about our values as a society? 
OMG u guys! this is crazy!!! 
and now they're saying it was part of some "Operation Absolute Resolve" 
need more info about this tho... like, who else did they target? 
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they've been testing their cyber warfare skills for years 
. And what's up with ICE vetting process btw? It sounds super lax... I mean, who wants to hire someone who's basically anti-trump and doesn't care about their views? 
Anyway, it's all just so... suspicious.