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The US hit the Venezuelan capital Caracas with a series of strikes on January 3, ahead of its mission to get President Maduro out of the country to face drug charges. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images)

AFP via Getty Images

“It was dark, the lights of Caracas were largely turned off due to a certain expertise that we have, it was dark, and it was deadly.” That was how President Trump described what looks like a cyberattack on Venezuela ahead of the operation that led to the arrest of President Maduro, according to the New York Times, which revealed more details about the attack last week.

The paper cited U.S. officials briefed on the operation, who claimed the city lost power as a result of the attacks, which also saw hacks of air defense radar. The cyberattacks were so “precise” they took the power down for most of Caracas for a few minutes, but for over 24 hours around the military compound where Maduro was captured, The Times reported. Maduro now faces drug charges. He has pleaded not guilty.

It’s one of the more brazen shows of American cyber offensive capabilities to date. It forms part of a more aggressive stance from Cyber Command of late. In recent weeks, defense secretary Pete Hegseth has banged the drum about the Pentagon’s desire to be a tech-focused, AI-first department. As Forbes reported last year, Cyber Command has purchased an array of AI offensive cyber tools, including automated cyberwarfare agents from little-known startup Twenty, which raised VC funds from the CIA’s VC arm, In-Q-Tel.

It is, however, still unclear just how the Venezuela attacks were carried out. A spokeswoman for the U.S. Cyber Command told The Times the organization “was proud to support” the Venezuela mission, but didn’t provide any more detail.

There are few previous examples of nations using cyberattacks to take out the power in other countries. The most infamous were those carried out by Russia in Ukraine across 2015 and 2016. Since then, however, Ukraine has hardened its cyber defenses against such cyberattacks.

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THE BIG STORY:Attorney General Investigates xAI, Grok Over Sexual AI Images Of Children

Elon Musk’s Grok has allegedly been used to create nudes and potentially illegal material. (Photo by Didem Mente/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Anadolu via Getty Images

After U.K. authorities announced plans to investigate Elon Musk’s xAI over its AI chatbot Grok generating sexualized images of children and women, California attorney general Rob Bonta announced his office was doing the same.

“The avalanche of reports detailing the non-consensual, sexually explicit material that xAI has produced and posted online in recent weeks is shocking,” Bonta said. “This material, which depicts women and children in nude and sexually explicit situations, has been used to harass people across the internet. I urge xAI to take immediate action.”

X has since restricted Grok from being used to generate nudes of real individuals in locations where it’s illegal to do so. Previously, it had limited Grok’s image generation capabilities to paying subscribers.

Stories You Have To Read Today

The FBI raided the home of a Washington Post reporter, seizing her phone, two laptops and a Garmin watch. The searches are being carried out as part of an investigation into a contractor Aurelio Perez-Lugones, who has security clearance and is accused of illegally retaining classified government materials. Investigators alleged Perez-Lugones had been in touch with the reporter, Hannah Natanson, but the Post’s editors have raised major concerns over press freedom.

Citing national security concerns, China is telling local companies to stop using cybersecurity software made by more than a dozen U.S. and Israel companies, including Broadcom-owned VMware, Palo Alto Networks and Check Point SoftwareReuters reports.

A group of Home Depot investors want to know if the company is sharing data collected using its Flock Safety cameras with ICE, amid concerns about immigration cops’ use of the vendor’s surveillance network.

Winner of the Week

President Trump has re-nominated Coast Guard senior adviser Sean Plankey to lead the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), after a year in which CISA hasn’t had a permanent director. In December, Senators raised concerns over Plankey’s oversight of a Coast Guard ship-building contract, which had been deemed wasteful by the DHS. That led to the Senate putting a hold on his installation as director. It’s still unclear if he’ll get the job.

Loser of the Week

Nicholas Moore, the 24-year-old who pleaded guilty to hacking the Supreme Court and the Department of Veterans Affairs earlier this month, was posting personal data of several victims on his @ihackthegovernment Instagram account, according to CourtWatch, which monitors federal court filings.

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