AP Photo/Vahid Salemi
| Published June 19, 2025
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman threatens ‘all-out war’ if America intervenes alongside Israel
🔍 What’s Happening
As tensions between Iran, Israel, and the United States escalate, cybersecurity experts are sounding the alarm on the growing likelihood of Iranian cyber retaliation. Theresa Payton, former White House Chief Information Officer and CEO of Fortalice Solutions, warned that Iran could weaponize cyberattacks as it becomes more desperate.
“I think everything’s on the table right now as it relates to Iran, especially if they are running out of weaponry and missiles. They could resort to cyber incidents and cyberattacks… So we could see Iran strike everything from everyday citizens to U.S. elected officials, media outlets, as well as critical infrastructure.”
She emphasized Iran’s established history of targeting key sectors—including water utilities, energy grids, hospitals, and financial institutions—with past cyber campaigns. This warning aligns with broader intelligence assessments suggesting that Tehran may be preparing stealth, high-impact digital strikes on American infrastructure if its conflict with Israel intensifies or draws in U.S. forces.
📊 Why It Matters
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Strategic retaliation in lieu of direct attacks: With the U.S. holding conventional military advantages, Iran may instead turn to cyber warfare—especially if U.S. forces join the Israel–Iran confrontation .
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Hidden malware already inside systems: Analysts indicate Tehran’s hackers have planted “sleeper” malware in bank and infrastructure networks, which could be triggered suddenly in a “sneak attack” scenario .
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Real-world precedents: Iran-affiliated groups like “CyberAv3ngers” have previously targeted oil, water, and gas systems worldwide—indicating both capability and intent.
🛡️ U.S. Preparedness & Vulnerabilities
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“Shields Up” alert: U.S. cybersecurity divisions like CISA, IT‑ISAC, and Food & Ag‑ISAC are urging firms to fortify defenses, step up threat-sharing, and increase vigilance across vulnerable sectors.
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Staffing & coordination gaps: While private entities are on alert, federal readiness suffers from organizational and staffing challenges—highlighting uneven national resilience.
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Non-state groups bolster threats: Beyond state hackers, cybercriminals and hacktivists may assist or opportunistically attack U.S. grids, especially if pro-Iran disinformation campaigns gain traction .
🔭 Strategic Implications
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Escalation risk via stealth
A cyberattack could bypass public scrutiny and respond to U.S. actions without being traced back to Tehran—an attractive strategy if Washington enters conflict. -
Economic disruption and public fear
Even temporary outages in power or financial systems could cause cascading effects—undermining confidence in government and markets. -
International cyber arms competition
New digital offensives from Iran may spur the U.S. and allies to harden networks, shift response protocol, and consider offensive cyber deterrence strategies. -
Civil–military coordination test
The blending of military directives with civilian agency defense efforts will be crucial; mishandling could heighten vulnerabilities or spark domestic backlash.
Overall Takeaway:
With rising tensions in the Middle East, Iran is likely to turn to cyberwarfare as a low-cost, high-impact form of retaliation—especially if conventional military options are limited. Experts, including former White House CIO Theresa Payton, warn that U.S. infrastructure—power grids, hospitals, water systems, and financial institutions—could be prime targets. Cyberattacks offer Iran plausible deniability and the ability to disrupt American society without triggering direct military response. The U.S. must prepare for these digital threats as part of the broader geopolitical battlefield.
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