Cybercrime and cyberwar: A spotter's guide to the groups that are out to get you

Which cybercriminals do you think are the most deadliest?

  • Disorganised

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Organised

    Votes: 2 18.2%
  • Hacktivists

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Terrorists

    Votes: 2 18.2%
  • State-backed hackers

    Votes: 9 81.8%
  • Insider threats

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    11

SpartacusSystem

Level 7
Thread author
Verified
Well-known
Aug 6, 2015
306
Cybercriminals are as varied as other internet users: just as the web has allowed businesses to sell and communicate globally, so it has given fraudsters the ability to plunder victims anywhere and set up crime networks that, previously, would have been impossible.

The web has become central to the smooth running of most developed economies, and the types of cybercrime have changed too. While 15 years ago the majority of digital crime was effectively a form of online vandalism, most of today's internet crime is about getting rich. "Now the focus is almost entirely focused on a some kind of pay-off," says David Emm,principal security researcher at Kaspersky Lab.

That's causing significant costs to businesses and consumers. IBM and Ponemon Institute's2016 Cost of Data Breach Study found that the average cost of a data breach for the 383 companies participating increased from $3.79m to $4m over 2015: the average cost paid for each lost or stolen record containing sensitive and confidential information increased from $154 in 2015 to $158. All the organisations in the survey had experienced a data breach ranging from 3,000 to 101,500 compromised records, and the majority of the leaks were down to malicious attacks (as with many types of crime, the costs of cleaning up can be vastly higher than the loot that the hackers manage to get away with).

Data breaches aren't the only costs to business of online criminals: the FBI calculates that CEO email scams -- where criminals pose as senior execs and persuade finance managers to transfer huge sums to phoney bank accounts -- have hit tens of thousands of companiesand cost over $3.1bn since January 2015.

There's a significant cost to business of protecting against attacks, too: according to analyst firm Gartner, worldwide spending on security products and services will reach $81.6bn (£62.8bn) this year, up eight percent year-on-year thanks to increasingly sophisticated threats and a shortage of cybersecurity professionals.

Most internet crime is motivated by a desire for profit -- stealing banking credentials or intellectual property, or via extortion for example. But as online crime has grown it has also evolved -- or mutated -- into a set of occasionally overlapping groups that pose distinct threats to organisations of different sizes.

These groups have different tools, objectives and specialities, and understanding this can help defend against them.

Read on to find out about:
  • Disorganised crime
  • Organised crime
  • Hacktivists
  • Terrorists
  • State-backed hackers
  • Insider threats
Cybercrime and cyberwar: A spotter's guide to the groups that are out to get you | ZDNet
 

Logethica

Level 13
Verified
Top Poster
Well-known
Jun 24, 2016
636
Great Share & Poll @SpartacusSystem :)
I voted that State-backed hackers are the deadliest..as the others do not have immunity from prosecution for their crimes.

The others may target an Individual or Organisation for either financial gain or to make a political statement..
but a State-backed hacker may target a Country's infrastructure.In a worst-case scenario this could lead to war and be responsible for a far greater loss of money & lives than all of the other options combined.
 

Exterminator

Community Manager
Verified
Staff Member
Well-known
Oct 23, 2012
12,527
Cybercrime has evolved in a decisive way over the last 10 years. What used to be something that was just talked about is now a very real problem in all parts of the world.This has necessitated the need to profile the cybercriminal as well.
Disorganized criminals are,for all intents and purposes,of below average intelligence.Although they can be unpredictable,in terms of cybercrime they are much less a threat to that of their counterpart the organized criminal.
We can see this in many of the Ransomware attacks that were very easily decrypted with many mistakes in the creation and execution of the malware.Terrorists would fall into the disorganized category within the realm of cybercrime as would most cyber thieves or "crooks" if you will.
The disorganized criminal is socially inadequate and usually unskilled and have elevated levels of anxiety while in the commission of a crime which leads to mistakes and capture.They are most always on the lower end of social standing and have little to no interest in news and media.Although a very real threat,as they are in all types of crime,in terms of cybercrime they would be inferior to the organized criminal.
Most of the other choices within the poll could be lumped together into one group.They would be the organized criminal.
With the partial exception of an insider threat,depending on how you coin the term.These could very well be the disgruntled employee and could be an organized or disorganized criminal.This would depend on the work environment and skill set required as most disorganized criminals prefer and work in unskilled employment.
In terms of the cybercrime,the majority would be of the organized criminal group.
The organized criminal is of normal to superior intelligence,works in and prefers skilled employment and is in total control of their emotions during the commission of their crime.The organized criminal would without a doubt pose the most real threat.Organized crime,not to be confused with the organized criminal,would fall into this category also.
In terms of the poll I selected State backed hackers and organized.However Hacktivists,Organized crime,state backed hackers,insider threats and even some of the common thieves would make up the organized cybercriminal.
Like any crime the organized and disorganized criminal always pose a threat.
 
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H

hjlbx

Simple formula, he who has the most money has the most resources and can retain "real deal" talent.

That's most organized and state-sponsored...

Besides, working for nation-state you are paid to do with impunity what would otherwise land you in the klink... I can't imagine a black-hatter not loving that scenario -- unless that black-hatter is forced to work for the nation-state at the end of a bayonet.
 
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