The war between the United States and Iran threatens to spill over into cyberspace; experts warn of potential cyberattacks.
The ongoing conflict in the Middle East is fueling global tensions. The crisis has spilled over into Spain after Pedro Sánchez's government rejected a US request to use the Rota and Morón air bases for operations related to attacks against Iran. Now, the conflict is escalating beyond the military and diplomatic spheres, threatening to open a new front in cyberspace.
The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (CCSC), the Canadian agency responsible for the country's digital security, has issued an alert regarding this threat. The center warns that it is "highly likely" that Iran will use its cyber capabilities to retaliate against joint US-Israeli military operations against it.
According to the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, the current scenario does not point to a single type of cyberattack but rather to a combination of hybrid threats that Iran has previously used in other conflicts and which often emerge when military tensions escalate.
However, experts emphasize that this type of operation does not typically target the general public. Rather, Iranian state-affiliated actors focus their efforts on strategic targets: government agencies, companies in critical sectors, or those involved in defense, energy, telecommunications, or technology. These campaigns seek to infiltrate corporate or institutional networks through techniques such as targeted phishing, exploiting vulnerabilities, or compromising corporate accounts.
The Cybersecurity and Communications Security Center (CCSC) notes that "Iranian cyber threat groups are highly skilled at combining social engineering and targeted phishing, using these efforts to target government officials and gain access to government networks and private sector organizations worldwide."
In other words, the goal is not so much to have an immediate impact on users as it is to gather information, disrupt services, or demonstrate the ability to penetrate sensitive systems. In this sense, cyber operations are an extension of geopolitical conflict, allowing pressure to be exerted on governments and strategic organizations without necessarily resorting to direct military attacks.
Finally, while these operations primarily target governments, strategic companies, and critical infrastructure, citizens may be indirectly affected. If a cyberattack succeeds in disrupting or compromising services in sectors such as energy, telecommunications, transportation, banking, and healthcare, the consequences will ultimately impact people's daily lives: from digital service outages to problems with payment systems, utilities, and communications