Why global conflict is a cyber risk for UK SMEs

For many UK SMEs, geopolitical conflict can feel distant, even though its impact is already being felt through rising costs and economic pressure.

What is less visible, however, is the growing cyber risk that now travels alongside it.

Recent events in the Middle East have demonstrated how quickly physical conflict can extend beyond traditional boundaries, creating digital consequences that reach far beyond the immediate region.

In practice, this means organisations in the UK can find themselves exposed not because they are directly targeted, but because they are connected, through suppliers, platforms and infrastructure, to a much wider global network.

What is becoming clear is that businesses do not need to be the intended target to feel the impact.

Instead, risk is often felt through the systems and third-party relationships that organisations rely on to operate, creating a ripple effect that can move rapidly across borders and industries.

When a cloud provider is disrupted, when a supply chain partner is compromised or when a critical service goes offline, the consequences are immediate, regardless of geography.

The nature of attacks is also evolving.

Figures from Sapphire Cyber Security, which monitors client cyber environments 24/7, point to a clear shift in both the scale and intent of cyber activity linked to this conflict.

While financial gain remains a factor, there is a growing emphasis on disruption, with distributed denial-of-service attacks now forming the majority of observed activity in this conflict, overwhelming systems and denying access to services at scale.

At the same time, we are seeing a rise in destructive attacks that are designed not to extract value, but to remove it entirely, wiping data and halting operations in a matter of moments.

One of the most telling examples of this shift came in the form of an attack on a major supplier, which resulted in the remote wiping of around 200,000 devices.

There was no ransomware demand and no negotiation, simply a direct and immediate impact on operational capability.

The role of hacktivist groups is also becoming more prominent, with loosely organised but highly motivated actors working in co-ordination across borders, often aligning themselves with wider geopolitical objectives.

This adds a further layer of complexity, as these groups are able to mobilise quickly and operate with a level of unpredictability that traditional security models are not always designed to address.

For SMEs, the implications are both practical and strategic.

Cyber security can no longer sit solely within the IT function; it must be considered as part of wider business resilience planning.

If a critical system or key supplier were to become unavailable, the question is no longer if it would have an impact, but how quickly that impact could be contained and operations restored.

There is also a growing need to focus on identity and access management.

In parallel, businesses must develop a clearer understanding of their dependencies, from where data is hosted to how supply chains are structured, and what contingencies are in place should disruption occur.

Encouragingly, improving resilience does not necessarily require significant investment.

Strengthening access controls, ensuring multi-factor authentication is consistently applied, reviewing supplier risk and establishing clear incident response plans are all practical steps that can materially reduce exposure.

Cyber risk is no longer confined to the digital domain.

It is shaped by global events, influenced by supply chains and accelerated by the interconnected nature of modern business.

For SMEs, recognising that shift, and responding to it with proportionate but deliberate action, will be critical in navigating what is an increasingly complex and fast-moving threat landscape.

Kiran Fothergill is chair of Sapphire Cyber Security and Pickerings Lifts director

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