Types Of Threat Actors In Cyber Security

As individuals, businesses, and governments become more reliant on technology, they also become more vulnerable to many cyber threats. Effectively defending against these threats requires a deep understanding of threat actors, including their motivations and their tactics.

So, what are the different types of threat actors? 

Essentially, a threat actor is an individual or group that deliberately damages digital systems or devices. Threat actors make the most of weaknesses in computer networks and software to carry out cyber attacks, like malware attacks and phishing. 

There are several types of threat actors in cyber security, each with different methods and motivations behind their actions. Common examples include insider threat actors and cyber terrorists, each posing unique security challenges. 

Let’s explore different types of threat actors in cyber security to get an insight into their objectives and behaviour.

Different Types Of Threat Actors In Cyber Security

Threat actors come in many forms, each using unique methods and strategies to penetrate security defences. Their objectives vary widely, driven by different motivations like financial gain, political vendettas, or political agendas. 

Understanding these threat actors and their goals is crucial for building effective defences against cyber security threats.

1. Organised Cyber Criminals

Organised cyber criminals are primarily motivated by financial gain. They tend to target larger organisations and businesses, attempting to steal financial data, money, or personal details from client records. 

Some are also known to have used ransomware to extort business owners, for instance, LockBit’s ransomware crew who targeted the Royal Mail in January 2023. 

After impairing the organisation’s shipping service, LockBit demanded a ransom of £70 million. Though Royal Mail refused to pay the ransom, they have since spent over £10 million on remedial measures. 

Organised cyber criminals use complex tools and sophisticated tactics to target weak systems. As they are motivated financially, the stolen data begins to turn up on the black market or is sold to wealthy bidders. 

2. Hacktivists

Hacktivists are threat actors with strong social or political agendas. They use expert hacking abilities to expose secrets and damage organisations they perceive to be  ill-natured

Hacktivists can target a range of organisations, aiming to demonstrate weaknesses in business security systems to increase cyber security awareness. They may also endeavour to further political or social agendas. 

A well-known example of Hacktivists is Anonymous, the community behind several non-violent digital attacks over the years, such as leaking Bank of America emails in 2011 to expose alleged unfair mortgage practices. 

Though hacktivists can cause major damage, they aren’t typically motivated financially, instead aiming to bring attention to causes they believe in, or to protest against perceived injustices. Their actions are driven by ideology, with the intent to hold organisations accountable, influence public opinion, or push for socio-political change. 

3. Insider Threats

Insider threats are sourced from inside an organisation, with the intent of circumventing its cyber security framework. Insider threats start from within, and they are more common than people think.

There are instances where a company’s staff, partners, or contractors abuse their authorised access to obtain data. Some may have financial motivations, but they might do it for other reasons, like leaking data to a business they want to join or using client information for their own goals. 

A well-known example of insider threats is the Tesla 2023 case, where two former employees leaked names, email addresses and phone numbers of 75,735 employees to a German newspaper. 

This case emphasises that even former staff members can pose a significant risk to company security. Insider threats do not always come from current employees, as individuals who once had access to sensitive information can still misuse their access. 

However, insider threat actors aren’t always malicious. Some may damage their company through unintentional human error, like losing a company-issued device or unknowingly installing malware. 

Organisations find it very hard to identify and prevent insider threats, as the perpetrators have authorised privileges from inside the organisation. 

You can find out more about avoiding insider threats with this post on Insider Threat Prevention For Enterprise Security.

4. Nation-State Hackers

Nation-state threat actors are supported by influential leaders, governments, and nation-states. The aim is to obtain confidential information, steal important data, or disrupt another government’s infrastructure. 

Nation-state hackers primarily serve the interests of a specific group or nation, though their motivations can vary. The hackers themselves may act out of nationalism, where they believe they are serving their country’s best interests, or for financial gain, where their government rewards their actions with profit. 

An example of a notable nation-state attack is the 2022 Russian cyber attacks on Ukraine, which took down multiple Ukrainian bank services and government websites. 

These attacks disrupted critical infrastructure and served as cyber-warfare to undermine the Ukrainian government’s stability. This displayed how nation-state hackers can leverage cyber operations to achieve geopolitical objectives. 

State-sponsored threat actors can cause significant damage to computer systems and important networks. As they are government-sponsored, nation-state threat actors have access to crucial resources and can amass powerful assets, which is why they are incredibly dangerous. 

5. Script Kiddies- Amateur Threat Actors

Though their goal is to inflict as much damage as they can, script kiddies don’t possess the skills to hack protected systems. These amateur threat actors usually focus their attempts on easy-to-penetrate networks that are already vulnerable to security threats.

Amateur threat actors tend to depend on pre-written software and scripts created by other threat actors. However, despite lacking in skill, script kiddies carry out their attacks fast and with ease. 

A famous example of script kiddies is the Mirai botnet incident in 2016, where three college-age teenagers built a botnet to attack their chosen targets. They rented their botnet out to paying customers, but after making their malware source code public, other hackers used it to carry out greater damage, taking down important websites through DDoS attacks. 

This incident demonstrated that even amateur threat actors can inadvertently enable more significant cyber threats, as their hackers can repurpose their exploits to carry out large-scale attacks. 

Script kiddies are classed as thrill seekers, as their goals are typically amusement-related. However, some may have financial gains, as cybercrime is a way for hackers to make easy money. 

Though they might not intend to cause severe harm, script kiddies can damage an organisation by meddling with a company’s cyber security, increasing its vulnerability to various types of cyber attacks.

How We Can Help

Cyber threats are evolving along with modern technology. To circumvent threat actors, organisations need to take threat intelligence seriously and improve their cyber security measures.

At Net Consulting, we specialise in helping businesses safeguard valuable IT assets against the ever-present danger of cyber threats. 

Our Compliance and Vulnerability Assessment provides a comprehensive evaluation of your organisation’s cyber threat risk, including the actions of different types of threat actors in cyber security. We can help you evaluate the security risks facing your company and create an action plan to address these issues, keeping your business secure.

To discuss your security needs with us, call us at +44 (0)29 20972020, or check out our services for more about what we do.