Hello. The U.S. incursion into Venezuela last weekend, and cryptic statements from President Trump, prompted speculation that cyber capabilities helped trigger a partial blackout in Caracas during the raid.

While U.S. officials say only that the operation combined land, air, space, and cyber elements, the suggestion that civilian power grids were targeted highlights a growing disparity: Although officials say utilities should be off-limits to run-of-the-mill hackers, they are increasingly treated as legitimate targets in cyberwarfare. Read the analysis from WSJ Pro's James Rundle.

Also today: 

• U.K. to issue minimum cyber standards for critical infrastructure
• NIST wants to know how you do agentic AI
• A New York county sends $3.3 million to scammers

Agentic AI for the win? The National Institute of Standards and Technology is asking businesses and other organizations to submit details about how they use agentic AI productively and how they manage cybersecurity and privacy aspects of deployments. The request, due to appear in the Federal Register on Thursday, is part of an effort to identify security risks in the technology and appropriate controls. (Cybersecurity Dive)

• Related from WSJ Pro: Security Chiefs Plan New Uses for AI in 2026

County gets tricked: Warren County in upstate New York sent $3.3 million to fraudsters posing as an asphalt contractor in a business email compromise scheme started in November. County officials discovered their mistake in late December after the real contractor contacted the office of public works to say it hadn't been paid. Investigators have recovered about $1.2 million of the errant funds. (Daily Voice)

• U.S. companies and others lost $2.77 billion to such schemes in 2024, according to the latest figures from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Business email compromise is the second-most lucrative internet crime, behind investment scams at $6.57 billion in losses, the FBI said. 

The WSJ Pro Cybersecurity team is Deputy Bureau Chief Kim S. Nash and reporters Angus Loten and James Rundle. Follow us on X @WSJCyber. Reach the team by replying to any newsletter you receive or by emailing Kim at kim.nash@wsj.com.