Who Is Paying for It? — TechKnowSurge

About this interactive

What you are doing: deciding who is behind each attack. The lesson's sponsors: a self-sponsored hacker works alone, with only their own time and money. A nation-state is a government funding attacks, usually on other governments. Organized crime runs cyber crime like a business, from ransomware crews to scam call centers. A competing company pays for attacks on a rival for a competitive advantage. A terrorist group funds attacks, often against governments, to spread fear for its cause. A sponsor brings more money and more time, through a team working on it, so a sponsored attacker is a bigger threat. How to use it: ask who pays and who benefits. Nobody but the hacker? A state? A criminal business? A rival firm? A group that wants fear?

What you'll learn

Distinguish a self-sponsored attacker from an organizationally sponsored one, and name the sponsor: a nation-state, organized crime, a competing company or a terrorist group

Aligned to

CompTIA Security+

2.1 Compare and contrast common threat actors and motivations.

Key terms

Self-Sponsored Threat Actor: An individual hacker who operates independently without organizational backing, limited to their own time and financial resources.
Organizationally Sponsored Threat Actor: A hacker or hacking group funded and supported by an organization such as a government, corporation, or criminal enterprise, providing greater resources and manpower.
Nation-State Actor: A government-sponsored threat actor that conducts offensive cyber operations against other governments or organizations for political, military, or economic advantage.
Organized Crime: Structured criminal enterprises that sponsor or conduct cybercriminal activities for financial gain, operating similarly to legitimate businesses.
Corporate Threat Actor: A company or corporate entity that sponsors cyber attacks against competitors to gain a business or competitive advantage.

Topics

Nation State Actor Organized Crime Corporate Threat Actor Interactive Categorize

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