FINANCE firms and critical infrastructure operators in Jersey are being urged to stay vigilant as tensions in the Middle East increase cyber risk.
The Jersey Cyber Security Centre said that, while there is no evidence of a rise in direct attacks locally, businesses with links to the Middle East face a greater threat.
Firms most at risk include financial services companies trading with partners or customers in the region, and operators in critical sectors such as energy and telecoms.
The warning centres on indirect impacts. Cyber attacks on infrastructure in the Middle East – including data centres and telecom networks – could disrupt supply chains and overseas partners, with knock-on effects in the Island.
Iranian cyber actors are described as “very capable”, but current internet restrictions in the country mean activity may be harder to detect, with traffic often routed through other jurisdictions.
This makes simple blocking measures ineffective. Instead, the JCSC advises organisations to monitor for unusual behaviour in their systems and ensure strong cyber security controls are in place.
The centre added that the full scale of any cyber threat may only emerge once internet restrictions in Iran are lifted.
