The Silent Threat: North Korea, China, and the Venezuelan Cyberwarfare Network

A Shadow Alliance Strengthens

For years, the Venezuelan regime has cultivated alliances with the world’s most repressive and anti-Western governments—Russia, Iran, China, Cuba, and North Korea. While much attention has been given to the Kremlin’s military and intelligence footprint in Venezuela, an even more secretive and potentially devastating partnership has been developing under the radar: the growing presence of North Korean military and intelligence operatives within Venezuela’s defense structures.

This silent yet deliberate expansion of North Korean influence in Venezuela is not a recent phenomenon. It has been a carefully executed strategy, orchestrated through a series of high-level visits, covert deployments, and military-technical cooperation agreements that now place Venezuela at the forefront of a complex cyberwarfare and intelligence operation against the United States and the Western Hemisphere.

Diosdado Cabello’s 2016 Visit to North Korea: The Beginning of a Deepening Relationship

In 2016, Diosdado Cabello, widely considered the true power behind the Maduro regime and the leader of Venezuela’s narco-military apparatus, led a high-level commission to North Korea. While the official narrative framed the visit as an effort to strengthen bilateral cooperation, intelligence sources suggest that the trip was, in reality, the foundation of a covert military and intelligence partnership.

Shortly after this visit, in 2017, North Korean military advisors, technical specialists, and intelligence officers began operating in Venezuela. Their presence was not publicly acknowledged, but by 2019, their role had expanded significantly, with direct involvement in Venezuela’s military command structures and intelligence coordination.

North Korean Military Advisors Embedded in Venezuelan Defense Structures

By 2022, reports indicated a sharp increase in North Korean and Chinese military operatives stationed in Venezuela. These advisors were not merely acting as consultants; they had become embedded within the highest echelons of the Venezuelan defense apparatus. Their primary areas of operation included:

? Cyberwarfare and hacking operations: Establishing cyberattack centers within Venezuelan military compounds, targeting U.S. infrastructure, financial institutions, and political systems.

? Electronic intelligence (ELINT) coordination: Leveraging Venezuela’s geographic position to monitor regional communications and conduct electronic espionage.

? Strategic military training: Training elite Venezuelan military units in unconventional warfare, asymmetric tactics, and cyber operations.

The headquarters for these operations is believed to be within the Comando Estratégico Operacional de la Fuerza Armada Nacional Bolivariana (CEOFANB)—the nerve center of Venezuela’s military and intelligence coordination.

A Complex Cyberwarfare Network: China, North Korea, and Venezuela

Beyond military training, North Korea and China have played an integral role in developing Venezuela’s cyberwarfare and surveillance capabilities. This is not an isolated initiative; it is part of a broader strategy orchestrated by adversarial states to undermine the West.

? China has established major electronic intelligence hubs in Argentina and has been heavily involved in training Venezuelan military cyber units.

? Russia operates cyberwarfare and electronic warfare units in Nicaragua and Cuba, providing direct support to Venezuela’s intelligence operations.

? North Korea, known for its world-class cyberattack capabilities, has been responsible for setting up Venezuela’s covert hacking networks, training specialized teams to target Western financial institutions, energy grids, and defense systems.

The Maduro regime, through these alliances, has effectively transformed Venezuela into a strategic cyberwarfare hub. These facilities serve as launching points for cyberattacks against the United States, Canada, and allied nations, making Venezuela a major player in global cyber conflict.

North Korean Influence Extends to Venezuela’s Political and Military Leadership

The relationship between Caracas and Pyongyang goes beyond military cooperation; it has deeply influenced Venezuela’s internal power dynamics.

? Venezuelan generals and admirals have traveled to North Korea via China for intensive training in military doctrine, cyber operations, and intelligence gathering.

? Key revolutionary ideologues and political figures have been indoctrinated in North Korea, adopting its extreme surveillance-based governance model.

? A third faction within Venezuela’s ruling elite has emerged—one directly aligned with North Korea’s ideology and operational strategies.

This ideological shift is reflected in Maduro’s increasing implementation of North Korean-style social engineering, totalitarian surveillance, and suppression mechanisms within Venezuela.

A New Era of Asymmetric Warfare: The West Must Wake Up

The traditional focus on military threats alone is no longer sufficient. The cyberwarfare and intelligence operations being orchestrated from Venezuela pose a direct and immediate threat to democratic institutions worldwide.

Unlike conventional warfare, cyberwarfare is an invisible battlefield. It is designed to infiltrate, manipulate, and cripple economies, power grids, and democratic processes—all without a single missile being launched. The Maduro regime, with North Korean and Chinese backing, has weaponized Venezuela’s strategic position to act as a covert staging ground for these operations.

Implications for the United States, Canada, and the Hemisphere

The presence of North Korean and Chinese military intelligence operatives in Venezuela represents a direct threat to regional security. This is not simply an alliance of convenience; it is a calculated, strategic deployment aimed at enhancing cyberwarfare capabilities, bolstering asymmetric military operations, and reinforcing authoritarian resilience.

Key Risks and Scenarios:

1. Cyberattacks on U.S. and Western infrastructure: Venezuela, with North Korean and Chinese assistance, could be used as a base for coordinated cyberattacks against the U.S. financial sector, power grids, and national security databases.

2. Espionage and intelligence gathering: Embedded operatives could provide adversarial states with critical intelligence on U.S. defense strategies, regional military movements, and Western diplomatic communications.

3. Terrorist financing and illicit operations: Given Venezuela’s deep ties to drug cartels, Hezbollah, and other transnational criminal networks, North Korea’s expertise in illicit financial operations could further destabilize the region.

4. Expansion of authoritarian influence: The Venezuelan regime, with North Korean guidance, could intensify repressive measures, export its model to allied regimes, and consolidate power through totalitarian mechanisms.

A Call for Immediate Action

The expansion of North Korean and Chinese military intelligence networks in Venezuela is not a hypothetical concern—it is an active and growing reality. The United States, Canada, and democratic allies must urgently address this threat before it escalates into a full-blown cyberwarfare and intelligence crisis.

Recommended Actions:

? Increase intelligence and counterintelligence operations to expose and disrupt North Korean and Chinese cyberwarfare activities in Venezuela.

? Sanction individuals and entities involved in facilitating North Korean and Chinese military presence in Latin America.

? Enhance regional cybersecurity cooperation among U.S. allies to detect and neutralize cyber threats originating from Venezuela.

? Strengthen diplomatic pressure on Latin American governments to isolate and expose Venezuela’s military cooperation with hostile states.

Venezuela is no longer just a failed state under a dictatorship; it is now an active cyberwarfare battleground where adversaries of the West are laying the groundwork for large-scale cyber conflict. Ignoring this threat will have severe consequences for global security.

Johan Obdola

Chairman & Founder of IOSI GLOBAL

IOSI GLOBAL COUNTERING DANGEROUS TIMES. GLOBAL WORKING GROUP