CIA deputy director says cyber operations enabled capture of Venezuela's Maduro as agency elevates cyber intelligence mission center

CIA Deputy Director Michael Ellis said cyber operations built the intelligence picture behind the capture of Nicolás Maduro during January's Operation Absolute Resolve, and highlighted organizational changes including a standalone cyber mission center and a…

Speaking at the Billington Cybersecurity Summit on 2026-09-08 (CyberScoop names the event the Billington Cybersecurity Conference), CIA Deputy Director Michael Ellis said cyber operations built the intelligence picture that allowed US special operations forces to locate Nicolás Maduro in his Caracas bunker and apprehend him within four minutes of landing during January's Operation Absolute Resolve; The Record described it as a 'flawless intelligence picture.' CIA Director John Ratcliffe elevated the Center for Cyber Intelligence to a standalone mission center, which Ellis said smooths reporting chains and aligns resources around the cyber mission. CyberScoop additionally reported the agency created a Directorate of Mission Systems and cut its technology acquisition cycle from two to three years to a six-month target, completing more than 400 purchases within that period. Ellis said AI will 'permeate' every aspect of intelligence work and brings unprecedented speed and scale to cyber operations and analysis, with safeguards including human-in-the-loop review and multi-model, multi-vendor approaches to avoid model lock-in (detailed by The Record). The Record also noted the US has unsealed narcoterrorism charges against Maduro and his wife, who are seeking dismissal under immunity claims.

• CIA Deputy Director Michael Ellis made the remarks at the Billington Cybersecurity Summit (referred to by CyberScoop as the Billington Cybersecurity Conference), per reports dated 2026-09-08.
• Cyber operations built the intelligence picture that let US special operations forces locate Nicolás Maduro in his Caracas bunker and apprehend him within four minutes of landing during Operation Absolute Resolve (dated to January by The…
• CIA Director John Ratcliffe elevated the Center for Cyber Intelligence to a standalone mission center; Ellis said the change smooths reporting chains and aligns resources around the cyber mission.
• The CIA created a Directorate of Mission Systems and cut its technology acquisition cycle from two to three years to a six-month target, with more than 400 purchases completed within that period (CyberScoop only).
• Ellis said AI will 'permeate' every aspect of CIA intelligence work and brings speed and scale to cyber operations and analysis, with human-in-the-loop review and multi-model, multi-vendor approaches to avoid model lock-in (The Record…
• The US has unsealed narcoterrorism charges against Maduro and his wife, who are seeking dismissal under immunity claims (The Record only).