Analysts watch for heightened cyber, disinformation campaigns following Venezuela raid

Disinformation operations have been spotted, but there are no signs the efforts are being coordinated through a foreign government, one observer told Nextgov/FCW.

Various groups are keeping their eyes peeled for hacking and information warfare efforts launched in response to an unprecedented U.S. operation conducted over the weekend that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and brought him to New York to face criminal charges.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is continuing to monitor the cyber landscape in the raid's aftermath. In a written statement, CISA acting Director Madhu Gottumukkala did not acknowledge any disinformation tracking, but said that the recent events in Venezuela demand “heightened vigilance” across sectors.

The Maduro capture has raised concerns that foreign adversaries aligned with Venezuela, like China or Russia, may launch retaliatory cyberattacks on U.S. soil in response to the operation.

“While CISA has not identified a specific threat at ...