From The Conversation: Associate Professor Saman Zonouz writes about how a nation can turn an adversary’s lights out without firing a shot and what can be done to prevent it.
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The darkness that swept over the Venezuelan capital in the predawn hours of Jan. 3, 2026, signaled a profound shift in the nature of modern conflict: the convergence of physical and cyber warfare. While U.S. special operations forces carried out the dramatic seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, a far quieter but equally devastating offensive was taking place in the unseen digital networks that help operate Caracas.
The blackout was not the result of bombed transmission towers or severed power lines but rather a precise and invisible manipulation of the industrial control systems that manage the flow of electricity. This synchronization of traditional military action with advanced cyber warfare represents a new chapter in international conflict, one where lines of computer code that manipulate critical infrastructure are among the most potent weapons.
Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering associate professor Saman Zonouz looks look inside the controllers that regulate modern infrastructure and explains how a nation can turn an adversary’s lights out without firing a shot.
Read the full story on The Conversation's website.
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