Threat actors focused on financial gain often attack which of the following main target categories

The threat landscape is growing every day. It’s not just organizations like businesses that need to be concerned about the increasing sophistication of attacks aimed at their network; everyday home users should be worried about these as well, because the threat landscape isn’t going to leave your home computer alone.

A component of the landscape you’ll hear often is the “threat actor.”  This is anyone who has the potential to impact your security.  The phrase ‘threat actor’ is commonly used in cybersecurity. To be more specific in the cybersecurity sphere, a threat actor is anyone who is either is a key driver of, or participates in, a malicious action that targets an organization’s IT security. But personal PCs and Macs are as susceptible to cyberthreats as an organization’s IT infrastructure.

A threat actor can be a single person carrying out a security incident, as well as a group, an organization, or even a country involved in carrying out a cyberattack.

Types of threat actors

Cybercriminal: This is the most common type of threat actor. Their attacks are intended to steal data and make that data inaccessible to them until they pay a hefty ransom, or just disrupt an organization’s key processes. Working alone or in a group, money is their primary motivation. Their attack arsenal is made up of phishing attacks, ransomware, malware and other tactics and techniques.

Insider threats:  This usually in reference to a business situation , when an employee, third-party contractor, or partner wants to get at organizational data and/or compromise key processes. They sometimes maliciously and intentionally damage an organization’s cybersecurity infrastructure, sometimes this is unintentional. For example, a staff member might fall prey to a phishing attack and share sensitive company credentials that they shouldn’t be sharing.

Can you have an “insider threat” at home? Sure. Your kids might unintentionally visit a website they shouldn’t and download some malware. Not every insider threat is motivated by greed or revenge.

Nation states: There are countries out there who target institutions in other countries to steal data, either to disrupt their security, impede some governmental function, or damage the economy, for example. They might seek access to military secrets, try to commit acts of espionage, or more.

There are also “hacktivists” who are not primarily motivated by money but rather by a need to publicize an organization’s misdeeds, or to be a part of a political or social movement. Terrorist organizations are also a type of threat actor when they indulge in cyber terrorism for propaganda and for political, ideological, and financial purposes.

Why should you care?

When we talk about threat actors, it’s often focused on businesses, but the fact remains home users like yourself are the target. Malicious actors are continuously looking for ways and means to infiltrate an organization’s network. You and your computer can be the conduit they can use. A threat actor might look at various ways to target the organization you are working for. They send a phishing message your way and trick you into sharing sensitive credentials through a cleverly worded message.

Suddenly you’ve become a threat actor, though unintentionally. Awareness about the various types of threat actors and how they go about their dirty business enables you to take proactive steps to not fall into their traps.

Protection against threat actors

Maintaining strict cyber hygiene is the low hanging protection fruit. Still, alone it’s not enough. Use an advanced antivirus solution to protect your home computer to safeguard all data on this computer and protect your computer from attacks launched by threat actors. Sophos Home aligns cutting-edge artificial intelligence malware detection, unbeatable exploit prevention, and advanced ransomware protection to keep known and unknown threats at bay.

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In addition to cybercrime, cyberattacks can also be associated with cyber warfare or cyberterrorism, like hacktivists. Motivations can vary, in other words. And in these motivations, there are three main categories: criminal, political and personal.

Criminally motivated attackers seek financial gain through money theft, data theft or business disruption. Likewise, the personally motivated, such as disgruntled current or former employees, will take money, data or a mere chance to disrupt a company's system. However, they primarily seek retribution. Socio-political motivated attackers seek attention for their causes. As a result, they make their attacks known to the public—also known as hacktivism.

Other cyberattack motivations include espionage, spying—to gain an unfair advantage over competitors—and intellectual challenge.

Who is behind cyberattacks?

Criminal organizations, state actors and private persons can launch cyberattacks against enterprises. One way to classify cyberattack risks is by outsider versus insider threats.

Outsider threats

External cyber threats include:

• Organized criminals or criminal groups
• Professional hackers, like state-sponsored actors
• Amateur hackers, like hacktivists
  

Insider threats

Insider threats are users who have authorized and legitimate access to a company's assets and abuse them either deliberately or accidentally. They include:

• Employees careless of security policies and procedures
• Disgruntled current or former employees
• Business partners, clients, contractors or suppliers with system access

What do cyberattackers target?

Cyberattacks happen because organizations, state actors or private persons want one or many things, like:

• Business financial data
  
• Clients lists
  
• Customer financial data
  
• Customer databases, including personally identifiable information (PII)
  
• Email addresses and login credentials
  
• Intellectual property, like trade secrets or product designs
  
• IT infrastructure access
  
• IT services, to accept financial payments
  
• Sensitive personal data
  
• US government departments and government agencies
  

What are common types of cyberattacks?

In the current, connected digital landscape, cybercriminals use sophisticated tools to launch cyberattacks against enterprises. Their attack targets include personal computers, computer networks, IT infrastructure and IT systems. And some common types of cyberattacks are:

Backdoor Trojan

A backdoor Trojan creates a backdoor vulnerability in the victim's system, allowing the attacker to gain remote, and almost total, control. Frequently used to link up a group of victims' computers into a botnet or zombie network, attackers can use the Trojan for other cybercrimes.

Cross-site scripting (XSS) attack

XSS attacks insert malicious code into a legitimate website or application script to get a user's information, often using third-party web resources. Attackers frequently use JavaScript for XSS attacks, but Microsoft VCScript, ActiveX and Adobe Flash can be used, too.

Denial-of-service (DoS)

DoS and Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks flood a system's resources, overwhelming them and preventing responses to service requests, which reduces the system's ability to perform. Often, this attack is a setup for another attack.

DNS tunneling

Cybercriminals use DNS tunneling, a transactional protocol, to exchange application data, like extract data silently or establish a communication channel with an unknown server, such as a command and control (C&C) exchange.

Malware

Malware is malicious software that can render infected systems inoperable. Most malware variants destroy data by deleting or wiping files critical to the operating system's ability to run.

Phishing

Phishing scams attempt to steal users' credentials or sensitive data like credit card numbers. In this case, scammers send users emails or text messages designed to look as though they're coming from a legitimate source, using fake hyperlinks.

Ransomware

Ransomware is sophisticated malware that takes advantage of system weaknesses, using strong encryption to hold data or system functionality hostage. Cybercriminals use ransomware to demand payment in exchange for releasing the system. A recent development with ransomware is the add-on of extortion tactics.

SQL injection

Structured Query Language (SQL) injection attacks embed malicious code in vulnerable applications, yielding backend database query results and performing commands or similar actions that the user didn't request.

Zero-day exploit

Zero-day exploit attacks take advantage of unknown hardware and software weaknesses. These vulnerabilities can exist for days, months or years before developers learn about the flaws.

What can cyberattacks do?

If successful, cyberattacks can damage enterprises. They can cause valuable downtime, data loss or manipulation, and money loss through ransoms. Further, downtime can lead to major service interruptions and financial losses. For example:

• DoS, DDoS and malware attacks can cause system or server crashes.
• DNS tunneling and SQL injection attacks can alter, delete, insert or steal data into a system.
• Phishing and zero-day exploit attacks allow attackers entry into a system to cause damage or steal valuable information.
• Ransomware attacks can disable a system until the company pays the attacker a ransom.

As an illustration, DarkSide, a ransomware gang, attacked Colonial Pipeline, a large US refined products pipeline system, on April 29, 2021. Through a virtual private network (VPN) and a compromised password (link resides outside of ibm.com), this pipeline cyberattack gained entry into the company's networks and disrupted pipeline operations. In effect, DarkSide shut down the pipeline that carries 45% of the gas, diesel and jet fuel supplied to the US east coast. They soon followed their shutdown with a ransom note, demanding almost USD 5 million in Bitcoin cryptocurrency, which Colonial Pipeline's CEO paid (link resides outside of ibm.com).

After all, Colonial Pipeline hired a third-party cybersecurity firm and informed federal agencies and US law enforcement. USD 2.3 million of the ransom paid was recovered.

How cyberattacks can be reduced

Organizations can reduce cyberattacks with an effective cybersecurity system. Cybersecurity is the practice of protecting critical systems and sensitive information from digital attacks, involving technology, people and processes. An effective cybersecurity system prevents, detects and reports cyberattacks using key cybersecurity technologies and best practices, including:

• Identity and access management (IAM)
• A comprehensive data security platform
• Security information and event management (SIEM)
• Offensive and defensive security services and threat intelligence
  

Prevent cyberattacks

A threat management strategy identifies and protects an organization's most important assets and resources, including physical security controls for developing and implementing appropriate safeguards and protecting critical infrastructure.

Detect cyberattacks

The threat management system provides measures that alert an organization to cyberattacks through continuous security monitoring and early detection processes.

Report cyberattacks

This process involves ensuring an appropriate response to cyberattacks and other cybersecurity events. Categories include response planning, communications, analysis, mitigation and improvements.

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Resources

What type of attack occurs when the threat actor snoops and intercepts the digital data transmitted by the computer and resends that data impersonating the user?

Which threat actors violate computer security for personal gain?

Which category of cybersecurity vulnerability is exploited by attackers before anyone else knows about it?

What is a variation of a common social engineering attack targeting a specific user?