Middle East Conflict: Iran-US-Israel Cyber-Kinetic Crisis

From Feb 28 to Mar 3, 2026, a coordinated US‑Israeli kinetic campaign termed Operation Epic Fury was accompanied by synchronized cyber operations that caused widespread Iranian internet outages, targeted state media and government services, and enabled waves of hacktivist and criminal activity; analysts observed APT involvement (e.g., MuddyWater, APT42), distribution of a credential‑stealing RedAlert APK, large‑scale DDoS and defacements, ransomware opportunism, and claims of terabyte‑scale exfiltration amid ongoing kinetic strikes and regional destabilization.