US braces for potential cyberattacks amid conflict with Iran: Expert at Iowa State explains what to know
Publish Date: 2026-03-04 12:52:00
Source Domain: www.weareiowa.com
Using an unordered list, summarize the following article with between 4 and 8 key points. There’s a heightened risk of scams as thieves play on people’s emotions during times of stress, a cybersecurity expert told Local 5.
AMES, Iowa — As the U.S. enters its fifth day of conflict with Iran, the government and many industries are bracing for potential cyberattacks.
The Department of Homeland Security has warned of potential lone-wolf and cyberattacks, according to a law enforcement bulletin obtained by ABC News.
“Although a large-scale physical attack is unlikely, Iran and its proxies probably pose a persistent threat of targeted attacks in the Homeland, and will almost certainly escalate retaliatory actions—or calls to action,” the bulletin said.
Dr. Doug Jacobson, director of Iowa State University’s Center for Cybersecurity Innovation and Research, told Local 5 Iran could target America’s infrastructure, including our power and water systems. However, it would not be an easy task.
“We are benefited by the fact that we have a highly distributed system. We don’t have a single power provider and we don’t have a single water provider. We have thousands and thousands of them,” Jacobson said. “So for them to do a wholesale outage of those things, it that becomes even more complex.”
Jacobson told Local 5 his bigger concern is that thieves will play off people’s heightened emotions and use such a volatile time to convince them to give up their money and personal information.
“When we see events like this, we tend to see adversaries that have nothing to do with the nation state,” Jacobson said. “They’ll get you to provide money to a cause or they’ll get you to provide information that they can then use to further try to scam you. So you’re going to see an uptick in those types of scams.”For more on how to avoid becoming a victim of cyberthreats, click here.
