Israel Iran cybersecurity risks: The recent military strikes between Israel and Iran have escalated rapidly, and while the headlines focus on missiles and drones, the digital fallout is already underway. The cybersecurity risks from Middle East conflicts are mounting, and businesses around the world—especially in the U.S.—should take this moment seriously. State-backed cyber actors are increasingly targeting infrastructure, financial systems, and software supply chains in retaliation or as opportunistic moves during global instability.

In the 48 hours following Israel’s June 2025 airstrikes on Iranian targets, cybersecurity researchers observed a major surge in offensive cyber operations. Iranian-linked groups such as APT34 (also known as OilRig) and Charming Kitten are among the most active, leveraging phishing, malware, and intrusion campaigns to exploit the situation. While Israeli entities are the primary targets, the nature of global digital infrastructure means many attacks may spill over into unrelated regions and industries.

This hybrid warfare approach is not new—but it’s evolving. As geopolitical crises intensify, businesses thousands of miles away can be caught off guard by data theft, ransomware, or availability attacks that trace back to nation-state tensions.

learning about iran & israel war and cyber attacks

Why Your Business Should Be Paying Attention

Cyberattacks tied to state conflict are rarely contained. Hackers often deploy malware that spreads across networks and cloud platforms, intentionally or not. Phishing emails that reference energy disruptions or geopolitical news can bypass basic filters and trick employees into downloading malware or disclosing credentials.

Companies relying on remote access systems, third-party vendors, or cloud infrastructure may already be exposed. These dependencies make it difficult to identify the origin of risk—and even harder to defend against it without a strong, up-to-date cybersecurity framework.

Six Steps to Strengthen Threat Readiness

1. Monitor emerging threat actors: Track global intelligence feeds focused on Iranian APT groups. Ensure your security team can detect known IoCs (indicators of compromise).

2. Harden email security: Configure spam filters to catch region-specific phishing attempts and deploy phishing simulations internally to improve user awareness.

3. Review remote access protocols: Enforce MFA on all remote entry points and remove unused accounts with elevated permissions.

4. Confirm supply chain resilience: Reach out to vendors—especially those in logistics, healthcare, finance, or SaaS—and ensure their cybersecurity programs are current and verified.

5. Test your backups and recovery plans: Confirm you have offline, immutable backups that are tested regularly and easily restorable in case of attack.

6. Run a tabletop exercise: Walk through a cyberattack scenario based on this conflict with your leadership team. Identify gaps and assign action items now—before a real-world breach occurs.

How Cost+ Helps Companies Stay Ahead of Geopolitical Threats

At Cost+, we stay on top of international threat activity and translate it into local, actionable risk management strategies. Our Security+ team provides 24/7 monitoring, email threat detection, vulnerability scanning, and rapid response planning. Our Cloud+ and Recovery+ services ensure your systems stay secure, recoverable, and resilient—no matter what’s happening on the world stage.

We also help companies review vendor relationships, validate existing controls, and design customized response plans aligned with real-time global threats. The Cost+ approach is simple: stay proactive, stay secure, and avoid the costly surprises that come from ignoring warning signs.

Get a Free Cybersecurity Checkup

Whether you’re unsure where your vulnerabilities are or want to confirm that your systems are ready for whatever comes next, we can help. Our team will conduct a thorough review and deliver straightforward recommendations—without pressure or long-term commitments.

Schedule your free security check today or call 800.840.9690 to speak directly with a cybersecurity expert at Cost+.

Sources

By Thomas McDonald
Vice President