SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Hackers are increasingly doing much of the fighting in modern conflicts, targeting critical online infrastructure, including major banks, businesses, and websites.
Nikolas Behar, an adjunct professor and cybersecurity expert at the University of San Diego, said Iranian hackers typically pose a low-level but real threat to Americans.
"It's going to consist of things like denial of service, that's when you flood systems with traffic, so they're no longer able to work for legitimate customers," Behar said.
Iranian actors also conduct phishing attempts — targeting people through email to steal passwords and other credentials. Those attacks can affect everyday Americans by disrupting the businesses and services they rely on through their phones and devices.
"Really keep an eye on those organizations and any advisories that they put out," Behar said.
This is not the first time Americans have been put on alert for cyber attacks. In June 2025, the Department of Homeland Security issued a warning urging Americans to be extra careful online.
What's different now is that the Department of Homeland Security is not updating its website and is working with only essential staffing. Behar pointed to the partial government shutdown as a factor.
"Due to the partial government shutdown right now, they're not at capacity, and they have suffered staffing cuts and leadership changes — they're not operating at capacity," Behar said.
Experts say the bottom line for everyday Americans is simple: monitor your devices and accounts closely, and change your passwords.
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