{"id":31847,"date":"2025-08-07T12:44:26","date_gmt":"2025-08-07T17:44:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bbrown.com\/?post_type=insight&p=31847"},"modified":"2025-08-07T12:44:26","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T17:44:26","slug":"impact-of-military-conflicts-on-cyber-risk","status":"publish","type":"insight","link":"https:\/\/www.bbrown.com\/us\/insight\/impact-of-military-conflicts-on-cyber-risk\/","title":{"rendered":"Impact of Military Conflicts on Cyber Risk"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Property & Casualty<\/p>\n

\n Impact of Military Conflicts on Cyber Risk\n <\/h1>\n\t\n <\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2\/3″]\n
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\n Impact of Military Conflicts on Cyber Risk\n <\/h1>\n\t\n <\/div>[vc_column_text css=””]Recent military engagements involving Israel, Iran and the United States have prompted heightened alerts from government agencies and the cybersecurity community. Organizations are urged to remain vigilant against potential cyberattacks originating from Iran, particularly those targeting Western critical infrastructure. Both state-sponsored actors and independent hacktivist groups are considered potential threats.<\/p>\n

Increased Cyber Risks Predicted<\/h3>\n

Congress has long recognized Iran\u2019s cyber capabilities. Following the Stuxnet incident\u2014which targeted Iran\u2019s nuclear centrifuge systems\u2014Iran significantly escalated its cyber operations. Notably, in 2012, Iranian actors deployed destructive malware against Saudi Aramco, disabling 30,000 computers and temporarily cutting the company\u2019s oil production in half.<\/p>\n

A joint bulletin issued on June 30, 2025, by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the FBI, the NSA and the Department of Defense warns that Iranian-affiliated cyber actors may soon launch cyber operations targeting U.S. networks and devices.<\/p>\n

Over the past two years, Palo Alto Networks\u2019 Unit 42 has tracked a steady expansion of Iranian-backed cyber activity. These actors have increasingly targeted critical infrastructure, supply chains, vendors and service providers. The most common tactics include distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks and destructive malware, such as data wipers capable of rendering systems inoperable and requiring replacement of hardware.<\/p>\n

Security experts have observed a particular focus on operational technology (OT) systems, especially within the energy and utilities sectors. Some Iranian aligned groups have been linked to attacks on water systems and the defacement of industrial control systems.<\/p>\n

Experts are urging IT and OT security teams to maintain heightened awareness, especially during weekends and off-hours, when cyberattacks are more likely to occur. The SANS ICS Five Critical Controls provide a practical and widely respected framework for organizations seeking to strengthen their OT cybersecurity posture.<\/p>\n

Cyber War Coverage Focus<\/h3>\n

If cyberattacks materialize, the applicability of war exclusion clauses in cyber insurance policies will likely come under scrutiny. These exclusions vary significantly between insurers in both structure and intent. Whether a claim is covered may depend on specific factors such as:<\/p>\n