Businesses urged to strengthen cyber defences amid increase in Iran-adjacent attacks

UK businesses have been warned by the government to redouble their cybersecurity efforts - as experts warn of increased Iran-adjacent attacks following the escalation of tensions in the Middle East.

Cybersecurity researchers shared with Sky News details of an increase in action from online actors promoting Tehran taking aim at UK-based organisations, along with American and Israeli targets.

Analysis from cybersecurity firm EclecticIQ noted a "significant uptick" in cyberattacks since the start of the Israel-Iran conflict started around a fortnight ago.

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The company said this included evidence of "growing collaborations between pro-Iranian and pro-Russian hacktivist groups".

Speaking at a NATO summit today, Prime Minister Sir Keir said the likes of Iran and Russia were carrying out cyberattacks "on a regular basis" - adding that the UK had "to be prepared for them".

The prime minister added that cyberattacks should be considered "an attack on our country".

In response to the increase in attacks, a government spokesperson told Sky News: "UK businesses face a growing number of threats from domestic and foreign cyber criminals who are intent on disrupting not only their operations, but our wider digital economy.

"While some companies are already taking steps to better protect themselves, it is vital that - regardless of size or sector - they all take immediate steps to review and strengthen their defences."

Among the attacks seen recently were distributed denial of service - DDoS - attacks against British companies, including those in the defence sector.

This involves trying to flood a company's computer networks with traffic in a bid to make it crash.

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As well as DDoS attacks, malware that deletes data was also deployed, with misinformation and "influence operations" also increasing.

It is difficult to establish who is carrying out attacks, including where they are located. Analysis of techniques and technical factors can point to an origin.

One DDoS attack was launched at outsourcing giant Serco, although the company said its "robust security operations infrastructure prevented the attack".

EclecticIQ says the scope of the attacks has extended past Israeli entities, with organisations in the US, UK and EU all targeted.

Cody Farrow, EclecticIQ's chief executive officer, warned businesses should not "assume they are out of scope".

Before working in the private sector, Mr Barrow was a senior intelligence officer in the US department of defence at the Pentagon, as well as the NSA and US cyber command.

He told Sky News: "UK companies could be being targeted not because of what they've done, but because of what they represent - which means resilience and remediation playbooks are crucial."

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Mr Farrow said Iran could retaliate against Israeli attacks in "unexpected ways" and has a history of responding to attacks via cyber operations.

"Retaliation may not be immediate or proportional, and could target companies with ties to Israel, entities perceived as supporting Israeli or Western operations, or symbolic infrastructure," he said.