U.S. on alert for cyber threats as tensions rise in Middle East, UTSA professor says

SAN ANTONIO – With conflict in the Middle East, the United States is on alert for the potential of cyberattacks.

There haven’t been any specific threats thus far, but Max Kilger, a professor of practice at UTSA, said it’s better not to take any chances.

“Cybersecurity is ensuring that your communications, your data and your transactions are secure,” Kilger said.

Here are the tips Kilger provided for people living in Texas to protect themselves from possible attacks:

• online users should keep their operating systems up to date

• all systems should have security, like an antivirus software

• people should make sure their passwords are complex, different and difficult to break

Kilger said it’s more likely that possible threats would target public infrastructure and the private sector over the individual, but he said it all depends on what unfolds between Iran, Israel and the United States.

“I suspect the extent to which we’re going to see cyber-attacks against the U.S. will depend upon the actual damage that was done to the Iranian nuclear sites,” he said.

Kilger also warned Texans to be vigilant for disinformation online. He said that deepfakes, a type of media edited using AI, could be disseminated during this time.