Understanding the Enemy: Exploring Four Main Types of Threat Actors

When cyber threats are always knocking on digital doors, keeping safe is more than just locking the doors. You need to know who's on the other side. As companies around the world see a surge in high-profile cyber events, the need to protect themselves from digital invaders has never been clearer. Every time there is a big news story about a new breach, people loosen their purse strings and put more money into cyber protections.

The really important thing is that it's not just about how much money you have for cyber protection. Spending money on a problem without a plan is like walking through a trap while wearing a blindfold. When we say "threat actors," we mean the bad guys on the internet. These are people or groups whose only goal is to damage computers, networks, and software. They are like bad guys that are always looking for holes in your computer security.

These cyber terrorists cause trouble in a number of ways. They could use ransomware to lock up your files for ransom or install viruses and other malware on your computer to steal data or cause further damage.

There are a lot of different types of fighters in the digital arena, but they can mostly be put into four main groups. Each side has its own digital weapons and war plans, which are also called tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs). Looking into the cyber threat information cycle gives you the foresight to carefully spend your security budget, like studying your chess opponent to guess what they will do next. Your secret weapon is this strategic knowledge of how and why your enemies think and act. It turns the money you spend on cyber security into a well-targeted investment instead of a random cost.

Understanding the Enemy: Exploring Four Main Types of Threat Actors, is more than just a list of enemies. It's also about building a shield and getting better at using a sword in the constantly changing battleground of cyberspace.

Now after complete insight into threat actors, it is time to read in detail about the four main types of threat actors:

Getting to know hacktivists is like getting to know graffiti painters. But to make a point, they don't use spray paint. Instead, they use hacks. They want to mess up your business, especially if they don't agree with what you stand for, not make money. To get their point across, they may tell other people about your secrets or make you look bad. Their tricks can still cost you a lot of money, even if they're not trying to make quick cash.

A DDoS attack is when someone sends so much traffic to your website that it can't handle it and might even crash. These people love to make trouble with this method. It's like a bunch of pranksters calling a pizza place at the same time; the line gets clogged up, and no one can place an order. To cause this much digital chaos, hackers must first take over a number of computers in a sneaky way. Most of the time, they use spam to spread a lot of malwares and build their army. For example, during the month of February 2000, Mafiaboy carefully planned DDoS strikes against well-known websites such as Yahoo!, Amazon, eBay, CNN, and Dell. Using a hacked computer network, which is sometimes called a "botnet," he sent a huge amount of traffic to these websites.

You can't stop a DDoS attack with an umbrella, just like you can't stop a flash flood. The IT team needs to quickly find this digital flood and then act like superheroes to fix it. This kind of internet storm can really hurt companies; it can cost them up to $2.5 million to clean up after one of these events.

Businesses need to be smart and get tools that are made to spot these DDoS tricks in order to keep their digital doors and windows safe. This DDoS threat intelligence is like having a high-tech security camera. It watches out for repeat offenders and knows which parts of your computer system could be easy for hackers to break into. This helps businesses stay one step ahead of their opponents.

People who cause trouble are out there, and they only want one thing: your important data. For them, data is money. Did you know that organized crime groups were responsible for half of all data breaches in 2018? That's a big deal. And here's the scary part: cybercriminals could steal up to 33 billion records by 2023. That's a huge increase from the 12 billion they got in 2018.

How do they do it then? Phishing is their favorite trick. When they try to catch your data, they use fake emails that look like real ones, just like when you go fishing. These emails have sneaky software in them that can cause a lot of problems. It's scary that these emails are getting so good that not even computer experts can spot them. They can also send a lot of emails to try to trick people because phishing doesn't cost them much.

Don't worry, though—there's good news! To stop these hacking scams, businesses can check their emails more carefully and make sure that people who log in to their systems are safe. A simple check that comes with most emails isn't strong enough. But computer teams can keep a closer eye on new emails that might contain these hidden cyber threats by using high-tech detective work.

Be aware that not all threats to your info come from hackers on the internet. There are times when the threat comes from inside the office, from people who work for the company. A lot of security slips happened last year—28%—because someone inside made a move, even if they weren't supposed to.

Think about this: let's say someone on your team gets mad and breaks something to vent their anger at the company. Or, one of your coworkers might not really understand all the technical stuff and mess up the company's network by accident. Oh no, right? It will cost the business a lot to fix it either way.

How can you make sure that this kind of oops or oh-no doesn't happen in your company? The key is training. People who have digital keys should know what to do and not do with them. For example, they should be very careful with passwords and not let anyone into the company's secret digital rooms. Setting up honeypots, or fake traps, is a smart way to catch someone who is trying to do you harm that they didn't mean to. You can also find any fishy behavior before it gets too bad by using tools that watch how employees use the company network.

Are you ready for a great team to keep the digital world of your business safe? There is only one way to stay ahead in cybersecurity: learn the bad guys' moves. This is because hackers don't all follow the same rules or go after the same things. Your IT team needs to be ready to block shots from anywhere.

Welcome to Turn-key Technologies (TTI). You can think of them as your own personal protection coaches. They've been in the business for almost 30 years and know how to keep your business safe now and in the future. There are many tools in their toolbox that can help you stop cyber risks before they happen. Are you interested in how they can help you beat hackers? Just give them a call to find out how they protect their networks.

Last but not least, our digital world is full of different types of troublemakers who aren't just messing around; they're serious. Threat actors of all kinds have their own set of moves, from those who want to make a statement to those who want to make a lot of money. Don't worry, though. Half the fight is knowing who the bad guys are. When you have their phone number, you can keep your digital goods safe like a pro. To protect the city, superheroes learn about the bad guys. In the same way, knowing these four main types of digital bad guys is your ability in the fight to protect your data. Let's stay aware, keep our cyber shields up, and remember that the most important thing is to know who your enemy is. You can get in touch with SafeAeon to fight in the best possible manner with your threats.