Politico: Cyberattack on Venezuela’s oil sector bears hallmarks of US operation

A cyberattack that disrupted Venezuela’s oil and gas infrastructure earlier this month shows signs consistent with a US-backed operation, according to former US officials and cybersecurity experts cited by Politico.

Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), said it was targeted by a cyberattack on December 15.

In a statement released at the time, the company accused the US government of attempting to seize Venezuelan oil “through force and piracy.” PDVSA said the attack was confined to administrative systems and did not affect the operational areas of its facilities.

Despite official efforts to downplay the incident, the cyberattack reportedly forced a three-day suspension of operations at PDVSA’s oil loading terminals, according to Politico.

“It looks like a preconceived attack,” a person with knowledge of the cyberattack, granted anonymity to share details about the hack that have not yet been made public, told Politico. “Let’s put it this way, it was not casual — the only groups that are capable of doing that are the US.”

Cybersecurity experts quoted by the outlet said that only a small number of countries possess the technical capacity to carry out an operation of such scale and sophistication.

“This is what US Cyber Command was built to do,” a former federal cyber official, granted anonymity to discuss capabilities that are often classified, said. “It sounds entirely plausible and is consistent with the mission and capabilities of US Cyber Command.”

The reported cyberattack comes amid rising hostility between the United States and Venezuela. Last week, US President Donald Trump ordered a blockade of Venezuela aimed at halting oil exports and increasing pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

The Trump administration has also seized several Venezuelan oil tankers in recent days, while US special operations forces have destroyed multiple vessels alleged to be involved in drug trafficking originating from Venezuela.

By Sabina Mammadli