Cyberattack Disrupts PDVSA’s Export Operations Amid U.S.-Venezuela Tensions Venezuela’s state-owned oil giant, Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), suffered a cyberattack over the weekend, causing disruptions to its export operations. In a statement on Monday, PDVSA claimed the incident was contained to administrative systems, insisting that operational continuity remained unaffected. The company attributed the attack to "foreign interests," specifically the U.S. government and domestic conspirators, accusing them of attempting to destabilize Venezuela’s energy sector. Despite PDVSA’s assurances, internal documents and sources revealed a different picture. A memo obtained by Bloomberg instructed staff to disconnect from networks and power down computers, while multiple insiders confirmed that systems managing Venezuela’s primary crude terminal remained offline as of Monday. Reuters reported that cargo deliveries were halted, with one source stating, "There's no delivery, all systems are down." The attack occurs amid heightened tensions between Venezuela and the U.S., following last week’s seizure of a sanctioned oil tanker carrying Venezuelan crude—the first such action since PDVSA was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury in 2019. PDVSA condemned the cyberattack as part of a broader U.S. strategy to "seize Venezuelan oil by force," framing it as an assault on the country’s sovereign energy development. As one of the world’s largest oil producers and exporters, Venezuela’s energy infrastructure remains a critical target amid ongoing geopolitical and economic pressures. The full extent of the disruption and the attackers’ identities remain unclear.