January 16, 2026
Blackout meets blowback
Cyberattack in Venezuela Demonstrated Precision of U.S. Capabilities
U.S. flipped Caracas’ lights to nab Maduro—comments went nuclear
TLDR: U.S. cyberwarfare allegedly shut down Caracas to help capture Maduro, showcasing precise power-grid hacks. Commenters split between “old trick, now public” and “you didn’t even need top-tier tools,” with 2019 blackout memories and memes fueling a loud ethics-versus-pragmatism debate.
The internet lit up after reports that the U.S. shut down power and jammed radar in Caracas, then flicked the lights back on to secretly fly in helicopters and capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. With senators set to grill cyber chief nominee Lt. Gen. Joshua Rudd, the crowd is split and loud. One camp shrugs, saying this is old news—“Stuxnet was 15 years ago,” noted a popular commenter, framing this as the first time the playbook’s been openly admitted. Another camp goes full cynic: “You don’t even need the National Security Agency,” argued a user, claiming Venezuela’s defenses are a leaky bucket. For context, folks brought up 2019’s massive blackout and chaos in the streets, suggesting the pattern isn’t new. Meanwhile, a link-dropper posted an archive, and a deadpan “javascript only” quip became the thread’s inside joke—because why not add web dev humor to geopolitics. Acronym decoder: ICS and SCADA are the industrial control systems and supervisory tools that run power grids—think the computers behind the lights. The mood? A spicy stew of “bravo for precision,” “yikes for ethics,” and meme-flavored skepticism. Everyone agrees on one thing: the lights went out, the takes turned on.
Key Points
- •On Jan. 3, a U.S. cyberattack turned off power in Caracas and later allowed it to be restored, showing precision capabilities.
- •U.S. cyberweapons interfered with Venezuelan air defense radar; the country’s most powerful radar was already not functional.
- •The disruption enabled U.S. military helicopters to enter undetected and capture President Nicolás Maduro, who was brought to the U.S. on drug charges.
- •Senators plan to question Lt. Gen. Joshua M. Rudd about the operation at his confirmation hearing to lead U.S. Cyber Command and the NSA.
- •Rudd, currently deputy head of Indo-Pacific Command, would oversee agencies that saw senior officials forced out by Laura Loomer.