InfraShield, the global leader in cyber-physical security and critical infrastructure risk advisory, is advising America’s critical infrastructure owners and operators to accelerate cyber-physical resilience efforts following speculation that the U.S. conducted offensive cyberattacks in Venezuela. The firm is warning that America’s adversaries may respond to the U.S.’s public signaling that it engaged in offensive cyber operations targeting Venezuela’s power grid by targeting American infrastructure.
Summary
Following recent reports that the U.S. may have conducted offensive cyberattacks in Venezuela, a new and more dangerous reality is possibly emerging for those who defend American critical national infrastructure (CNI). Public signaling by the U.S. that it weaponized cyberspace to target Venezuela’s power grid could materially increase the likelihood of parallel retaliatory activity against the critical systems upon which Americans rely. InfraShield assesses that operators and owners of American CNI must acknowledge and prepare for a potential increase in retaliatory attacks amidst growing international tensions.
January 15, 2026
Following recent reports that the U.S. may have conducted offensive cyberattacks in Venezuela, a new and more dangerous reality is possibly emerging for those who defend American critical national infrastructure (CNI). Public signaling by the U.S. that it weaponized cyberspace to target Venezuela’s power grid could materially increase the likelihood of parallel retaliatory activity against the critical systems upon which Americans rely.
InfraShield assesses that operators and owners of American CNI must acknowledge and prepare for a potential increase in retaliatory attacks amidst growing international tensions.
Media reports following the U.S. military’s capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro indicated the operation may have included the offensive targeting of Venezuela’s civilian power resources by U.S. cyber operators. If confirmed, the incident would represent one of the most visible acknowledgments of U.S. cyber operations affecting foreign energy infrastructure in recent memory and a potential inflection point in how adversaries interpret acceptable statecraft in cyberspace.
Nation-state adversaries like China, Russia, and Iran, which are already actively probing and compromising Western infrastructure, may view the U.S.’s actions as opening the door to attacks on power, energy, and industrial systems. They may now be fair game during periods of heightened geopolitical tension.
“We’ve already seen what this looks like in practice,” Mark Rorabaugh, President and CEO at InfraShield, said in response. “Chinese and Russian actors have spent years quietly embedding themselves in U.S. critical infrastructure networks. Campaigns like Volt Typhoon’s were not about immediate disruption. They were about prepositioning, maintaining persistence, and being strike-ready in the event of a major conflict.”
“Following the U.S.’ alleged use of offensive cyber operations in Caracas, a major conflict between superpowers may no longer be required to justify disruptive attacks on essential American organizations. Our adversaries’ calculus may have changed in the aftermath.”
Experts have repeatedly warned that adversaries are treating American power, water, telecommunications, and energy systems as latent battlefields, placing what one former U.S. intelligence official famously described as the equivalent of “strapping digital explosives” to vital systems.
“The concern now is escalation and timing,” Rorabaugh said. “In an environment marked by global volatility, from Eastern Europe to the Middle East and the South Pacific, critical infrastructure increasingly becomes a tool of coercion below the threshold of open warfare. U.S. operators should assume they are already in the battlespace and adjust their security posture accordingly.”
We advise that CNI organizations not wait for an incident to validate their assumptions and instead take proactive steps to secure their operations and America’s infrastructure. Our operational technology security experts recommend that facilities conduct threat hunting for dormant access, perform segmentation of operational technology networks, and ensure readiness for coordinated cyber and physical disruptions.
We work with operators to assess cyber-physical risk, identify pathways to disruption, and prioritize practical controls that reduce operational impact. We encourage critical infrastructure leaders to contact InfraShield to evaluate their current security posture and resilience against nation-state threats.
About InfraShield
InfraShield is a U.S.-based cyber-physical security company specializing in the protection of critical infrastructure systems across operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) environments. An industry leader, the company designs and implements tailored solutions, technologies, and strategies to defend high-value assets against evolving cyber threats in nuclear power, energy, transportation, mining and metals, water, and government.
Media Contact
Rob Legare
rob.legare@bluehighwayadvisory.com
