Hacktivist campaigns increase as United States, Iran, and Israel conflict intensifies

CTU observed an uptick in pro‑Iran hacktivist activity across Telegram, X, and forums after U.S./Israeli strikes on Iran, with groups like Handala Hack Team and APTIran claiming attacks (mostly unverified) such as website defacements, DDoS, doxxing, and data leaks; a BaqiyatLock RaaS offering free affiliates further raises ransomware risk. CTU recommends heightened defensive posture, patching internet‑facing systems, monitoring for credential attacks and phishing, and maintaining endpoint/backup readiness.