Venezuela is currently engulfed in a political crisis following the presidential election held on July 28, 2024. The incumbent president, Nicolas Maduro, was declared the winner, but the opposition, led by candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, disputes the results, alleging evidence of falsification. Accusations of electoral manipulation and forged results have been leveled against Maduro’s administration.
As a result, mass protests have erupted across the country, with demonstrators clashing with security forces and pro-government groups. The intensity of the conflict has spilled over into the virtual space, with hacker groups reigniting the #Opvenezuela campaign to protest against Maduro’s regime. These hackers are coordinating their actions through Telegram and X (formerly Twitter) and claim to have successfully targeted over 45 government websites.
Anonymous Venezuela announced the first successful attack on servers allegedly linked to the regime’s surveillance application. Other hacker associations, such as Cyber Hunters, MS Botnet Cyberhunter, and Skull Hunters, have joined the cyberattacks against government entities and organizations associated with Maduro.
On the other hand, Venezuelan authorities have pointed fingers at hackers from Northern Macedonia, specifically accusing GlorySec hackers of attempting to disrupt the election process. Despite GlorySec’s denial of involvement, they continue to be active in the #opwenezuela campaign, claiming to have hacked accounts associated with the Venezuela Communist Party and threatening to disclose member data.