US hackers are reportedly behind a power outage that crippled Venezuela's capital, Caracas, just days before the country's president and his wife were seized by US forces in a surprise military operation. The blackout, which lasted for several hours, was attributed to a cyberattack on the power grid, with US officials confirming that it was carried out by the US government.
The incident is seen as a significant escalation of US cyber warfare capabilities, following reports that Russia's hacker group Sandworm had previously caused blackouts in Ukraine. The use of cyberattacks as a tool of war has been increasingly discussed among experts and policymakers, with some arguing that it could be used to gain strategic advantages in conflicts.
The Venezuelan crisis has also highlighted concerns about the Trump administration's handling of immigration policy, including its treatment of asylum seekers and immigrants living in the US. A recent report by The New York Times found that over 2,000 ICE operatives had made more than 2,400 arrests since the "Operation Metro Surge" began in late 2025, with some reports suggesting that agents were being deployed without proper training.
Furthermore, a recent incident involving an AI hiring tool for ICE agent candidates has raised questions about the vetting process used to hire new officers. The tool was found to have mistakenly placed untrained individuals in the field, highlighting concerns about the administration's commitment to ensuring that only qualified personnel are employed to enforce immigration laws.
The US government's use of cyberattacks and other tactics to achieve its goals has also been criticized by some lawmakers, who argue that it undermines the principles of international law and could have unintended consequences. As one senator noted, "This app allows ICE to find the closest person to arrest and disappear... It makes a mockery of the idea that ICE is trying to make our country safer."
In other news, researchers have found that hundreds of millions of audio devices using Google's Bluetooth protocol are vulnerable to wireless hacking, while a major Verizon outage has knocked out mobile services in large swaths of the US.
The incident is seen as a significant escalation of US cyber warfare capabilities, following reports that Russia's hacker group Sandworm had previously caused blackouts in Ukraine. The use of cyberattacks as a tool of war has been increasingly discussed among experts and policymakers, with some arguing that it could be used to gain strategic advantages in conflicts.
The Venezuelan crisis has also highlighted concerns about the Trump administration's handling of immigration policy, including its treatment of asylum seekers and immigrants living in the US. A recent report by The New York Times found that over 2,000 ICE operatives had made more than 2,400 arrests since the "Operation Metro Surge" began in late 2025, with some reports suggesting that agents were being deployed without proper training.
Furthermore, a recent incident involving an AI hiring tool for ICE agent candidates has raised questions about the vetting process used to hire new officers. The tool was found to have mistakenly placed untrained individuals in the field, highlighting concerns about the administration's commitment to ensuring that only qualified personnel are employed to enforce immigration laws.
The US government's use of cyberattacks and other tactics to achieve its goals has also been criticized by some lawmakers, who argue that it undermines the principles of international law and could have unintended consequences. As one senator noted, "This app allows ICE to find the closest person to arrest and disappear... It makes a mockery of the idea that ICE is trying to make our country safer."
In other news, researchers have found that hundreds of millions of audio devices using Google's Bluetooth protocol are vulnerable to wireless hacking, while a major Verizon outage has knocked out mobile services in large swaths of the US.