NCSC flags heightened threat in Middle East

The UK's cyber defense agency is warning businesses with Middle East ties to heighten vigilance amid escalating tensions following US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

The UK's cyber defense agency is warning businesses with Middle East ties to heighten vigilance amid escalating tensions following US-Israeli strikes on Iran, according to The Guardian.

The National Cyber Security Centre said there is "almost certainly" an increased risk of indirect cyber threats for organisations with regional offices or supply chains, even though the direct threat to the UK has not materially changed.

The agency cautioned that Iran-linked actors retain cyber capabilities despite recent military setbacks and advised firms to strengthen monitoring and review incident response plans.

Jonathon Ellison, NCSC director for national resilience, urged critical infrastructure operators to "act now," citing the potential for collateral disruption from hacktivist or state-aligned groups.

Analysts, including representatives from Sophos and CrowdStrike, reported activity such as distributed denial-of-service attacks and warned that opportunistic targeting could ensnare UK firms. Experts also flagged risks ranging from data theft to possible physical threats against regional datacentres as geopolitical tensions evolve.

Written by

Sharon Florentine Editorial Director

Sharon Florentine is the editorial director for CyberRisk Alliance’s Channel Brands and acting editorial director for SC UK. She is responsible for setting strategy and editorial direction and developing content for news, features, analysis and other written content, moderates live webcasts, and oversees research projects. Sharon has previously held key editorial, content and leadership positions at DevOps.com, Security Boulevard, CIO.com, Ziff Davis Enterprise, and CRN, among others.