As tensions and uncertainty in the Middle East increase, organizations should be more vigilant about their cybersecurity measures.

During crisis situations, such as a war or global health issue, cybercrime increases, according to the World Economic Forum. That’s in addition to rising cyber activity for organizations of all kinds and even individuals.

One of the largest data breaches in history was reported June 23, 2025 as 16 billion passwords were exposed, “opening access to Facebook, Google, Apple, and any other service imaginable,” according to cybernews.

While it is too early to determine if uncertainty in the Middle East was linked to or contributed to this data breach, it is always a good time to reexamine and double down on your cybersecurity protocols.

Protect Your Organization

• Increased monitoring: Increase monitoring of network activity and external threats.
• Enhanced access controls: Revisit access privileges and reinforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) requirements.
• Threat intelligence: Leverage threat intel and work closely with your cybersecurity partners to ensure you have the latest information.

Employee Awareness

• Tell employees to watch for a larger number of prompts or reminders related to phishing, data handling and secure behavior.
• Stay alert for unexpected emails, links, attachments or requests. Report any suspicious activity to your IT team immediately.
• Use strong, unique passwords and consider using a password manager.
• Follow established protocols for sharing and accessing sensitive information.
• Set up a guest network for visitors to your home and add smart devices to this network.
• Check with sites like SpyCloud or Have I Been Pwned to track breach exposure and force password resets if your information has been compromised.
• Reset your router’s password or update the device. Consider a Virtual Private Network (VPN) that stays on.
• Do not connect to public Wi-Fi. There are security risks associated with logging on. Consider using a VPN if you need to use it.

Cybersecurity is vital to your daily operations. Just one breach or cyberattack could shut down your business temporarily or for good.

Contact the experienced cyber team at Unison Risk Advisors for help with managing your risk of becoming a target and being attacked. We can also help you find the appropriate safeguards for your organization.