Threat brief: Escalation of cyber risk related to Iran

The recent conflict involving Iran, particularly its military engagements with Israel and the U.S., significantly heightens the risk of cyber spillover. This extends traditional battlegrounds into the digital realm.

While we have not yet seen a dramatic uptick in Iranian-directed cyberattacks, further escalations could manifest as a surge in cyber operations by both state-sponsored groups and independent hacktivists. Their aim would be to disrupt, collect intelligence on or influence perceived adversaries. Iranian threat groups have a history of targeting critical infrastructure and sensitive industries across public and private enterprises globally and these attacks can have far-reaching consequences.

Over the past two years, Unit 42 has observed Iranian-backed groups and hacktivists expanding their global cyber operations.