DHS warns of cyberattacks after US strikes; Lincoln expert talks about what Iran could do

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Amid the conflict in the Middle East, the Department of Homeland Security warned the public about potential cyberattacks.

“You could make a strong argument that a cyberattack now could have just as devastating effect as all-out traditional war,” Jeff Kiple said.

On Monday evening, President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between Iran and Israel, but it’s not clear if it will hold permanently.

According to The Hill, cyberattacks against Israel from Iran have spiked 700% since the conflict began.

Kiple, owner of Lincoln-based Kelpie Security, said this is one of Iran’s best options for retaliation after the U.S. attacked three key nuclear sites.

“They can’t go after us directly, military to military, so they’re looking for asymmetric attacks,” he said. “So whatever they can do to cause the populace pain, whether they’re doing more phishing attacks to steal money or denial of services.”

He said the possibility of these cyberattacks should not be taken lightly due to the damage they can cause.

“The sophistication of the attacks has gone up exponentially,” he said. “In actuality, you could have a physical response to it. Like you could blow something up from a cyberattack and have the same result as a bomb.”

DHS said both hackers and Iranian-affiliated actors routinely target U.S. networks and internet-connected devices for cyberattacks.

Kiple said the common targets of the attacks are ones that will affect the most people.

“Specifically, companies you see as kind of large-scale, especially data centers like Amazon, Microsoft,” he said.

Hackers will also try to “take down utilities,” Kiple said, and it’s becoming more common to go after small businesses.