Eric Goldstein, executive assistant director for cybersecurity at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, recently laid out four steps small and medium businesses should take to protect their organizations from ransomware attacks and improve their cybersecurity posture, the first being the need for SMB leaders to discuss cybersecurity with direct reports.

“If you have regular email communications to staff, include updates on security program initiatives. When you set quarterly goals with your leadership team, include meaningful security objectives that are aligned with business goals,” Goldstein wrote in a blog post published Tuesday.

He called on SMBs with on-premises systems to transition to cloud-based platforms and enable multifactor authentication for all services and accounts.

Another step these businesses should take, according to Goldstein, is to seek the assistance of their local CISA cybersecurity advisers when it comes to Cybersecurity Performance Goal assessments.

“These assessments are designed to assist organizations of any size identify areas for near term improvement prioritized by Cost, Impact, and Complexity,” Goldstein noted.

The CISA executive also highlighted the need to transition to a “model in which technology products are safe and secure by design and default” to help advance cybersecurity for such businesses.

Microsoft’s Digital Threat Analysis Center has revealed that Iranian state actors are employing cyber-enabled influence operations to boost cyberattacks and achieve greater geopolitical impact.

Clint Watts, general manager of the Digital Threat Analysis Center, wrote in a blog post published Tuesday that Microsoft researchers connected 24 unique cyber-enabled IO to the Iranian government in 2022, a significant increase compared to just seven in 2021.

According to Watts, Iran’s integration of cyber and influence operations accelerated in June 2022, with researchers tracking 17 operations from June to December.

Iran’s cyberattacks are mainly targeted at Israel, Gulf state adversaries and other opposition figures and organizations.

Tehran also launched cyber operations against the U.S., Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

In a new Microsoft Threat Intelligence report, the company defines cyber-enabled IO as combining offensive computer network operations with online messaging and amplification to influence target audiences’ decisions, perceptions and behaviors.

Gen. Paul Nakasone, commander of U.S. Cyber Command and a 2023 Wash100 awardee, revealed that “persistent engagement” is Cybercom’s strategic approach to operate in a challenging strategic environment, DOD News reported Tuesday.

He highlighted the importance of alignment with partners across the joint force and the private sector to address security challenges in the cyber domain.

“In this environment, the winners will be those that can set conditions for dynamic collaboration, that enable understanding and action,” he said Tuesday at a conference.

“Our desired end state is an end state of a unity of effort,” said Nakasone, who also serves as director of the National Security Agency and head of the Central Security Service. “This is an intangible competitive advantage.”