Episode 143: Iran's Growing Multidimensional Threat Activity

In episode 143 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Sean Atkinson is joined by John Cohen, Executive Director of the Program for Countering Hybrid Threats at the Center for Internet Security®(CIS®). Together, they discuss Iran's evolving multidimensional threat activity following U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025. Here are some highlights from our episode:

• 00:49. Lessons from the past on how Iran might respond to the U.S. airstrikes in June 2025
• 04:56. The use of informed practice and continuous awareness to better prepare defenders
• 06:41. Recap of Iranian multidimensional threat activity observed between 2024 and 2025
• 11:53. The impact of contextual intelligence and education in driving threat awareness
• 19:17. Why understanding of impact is critical to addressing a business risk
• 23:09. Three things you need to do to be an effective threat briefer
• 25:07. The use of tabletop exercises (TTXs) to promote incident response
• 26:56. The 2024 General Election as a case study of what threat preparedness can do

Resources

• ThreatWA™
• US hits 3 Iranian nuclear sites, Trump says, plunging America into conflict
• Are national security threats a concern after U.S. military strike on Iranian nuclear sites?
• New report: Hacker for El Chapo helped boss hunt and kill FBI informants
• MS-ISAC Guide to DDoS Attacks
• With July 4 just days away, US law enforcement on high alert for Iran retaliation
• Iran-linked hackers threaten to release Trump aides' emails
• Iranian-aligned hackers claim responsibility for Truth Social cyberattack
• Iranian-Aligned Hackers Claim Responsibility for Attack on Trump’s Truth Social Platform
• States and Congress wrestle with cybersecurity after Iran attacks small town water utilities
• NYPD deploying additional resources across city following US strikes on Iran
• CIS Critical Security Controls v8.1 Industrial Control Systems (ICS) Guide
• Enhancing Safety in the Connected W