Common Cyber Attackers Putting Businesses at Risk
There are 4 common types of cyber attackers who put your business at risk by utilizing different forms of threats, and some cyber attackers have emerged as notorious cybercrime gangs.
Every day, the digital threats we face are more diverse, sophisticated, and dangerous. No organization is immune. It has been reported that cyberattacks occur every 11 seconds worldwide and cybercriminals are now targeting small to mid-sized businesses.
There are 4 common types of cyber attackers who put your business at risk by utilizing different forms of threats, and some cyber attackers have emerged as notorious cybercrime gangs.
The 4 Common Types of Cyber Attackers
A cyber attacker is an individual or organization who attempts to gain, steal, block, delete, alter, or manipulate data through control, disrupting, or disabling computers, computer systems, or computer networks. The 4 most common types of cyber attackers are:
- Cybercriminals โ The most prominent and active type of attacker who uses technology to commit cybercrimes by stealing sensitive data to generate profits. They use computers for cybercrimes in 3 different ways:
- Computers as the target โ they attack someoneโs computer to spread viruses, for data theft, and for identity theft.
- Computers as a weapon โ they use the computer to perform crimes such as spam, fraud, illegal gambling, etc.
- Computers as an accessory โ they use a specific computer to steal data illegally.
- Hacktivists โ This cyber attacker carries out malicious activity to promote religious beliefs, political agendas, or social ideology. They differ from cybercriminals in that they are not hacking for cash, they hack for a cause.
- State-sponsored Attacker โ This cyber attacker has particular objectives aligned with political, commercial, or military interests within their country. They have many resources at their disposal and are highly skilled in detecting vulnerabilities and exploiting them.
- Insider Threats โ This cyber attacker may not even be aware they are one. These include current and former employees, contractors, temporary workers, shareholders, and anyone who has access to the organizationโs data. There are 3 different types of Insider Threats:
- Malicious โ Usually former employees, these threat actors purposely attempt to do harm to an organizationโs data, systems, or IT infrastructure as a means of revenge.
- Accidental โ These threat actors accidentally delete an important file or inadvertently share confidential data. They are not malicious actors and donโt mean to do the company harm.
- Negligent โ These threat actors simply donโt care or donโt care to know more. They choose to not follow policies to protect endpoints and valuable data and they may share information publicly without realizing how damning their actions may be.
The 5 Most Notorious Cybercrime Gangs
Hackers have become entrepreneurs; they are legit businesses. Yes, there may be that one 14-year-old kid in his parentโs basement that is buying ransomware as a service (RaaS), but there are also very sophisticated organizations with hundreds of employees involved in cybercrime now who evolve with the market.
The recent ransomware attacks on large corporations, such as the Colonial Pipeline, JBS Foods, and Kaseya have forced these organizations to pay millions of dollars and brought forth the names of the cyber attackers responsible for these attacks, DarkSide and REvil. Due to pressure from the U.S., the Russian cybercriminals, DarkSide has shut down operations. Not long after, REvil disappeared
Organized cybercrime gangs are groups of hackers, programmers, tech bandits, and other cyber criminals who work together to pull off massive heists over the internet. They have become very sophisticated in their tactics, techniques, and procedures. The 5 most notorious cybercrime gangs are:
- Cobalt Cybercrime Gang โ Responsible for the Carbanak and Cobalt Malware attacks that targeted over 100 financial institutions in more than 40 countries between 2016 and 2018. These criminals were able to steal more than $11 million per heist and caused the financial industry over a billion dollars in cumulative losses.
- Lazarus Gang โ Known for the Sony Pictures breach in 2014 and the WannaCry cyberattack on Englandโs National Health Service (NHS) in 2017. During the Sony Pictures leak, hackers breached the corporate network, deleted files, and stole confidential data that leaked to the press days later. The WannaCry ransomware attack affected almost a quarter of a million computers in 150 countries, shut down health systemโs operations for many days, and crippled numerous companies and organizations which cost the NHS an estimated $100 million.
- MageCart Syndicate โ This eCommerce hacking syndicate composed of different cybercriminal groups is known for stealing customer and credit card data by hijacking payment systems. They were responsible for the British Airways data breach in 2018 that compromised the personal and financial information of 380,000 customers. They are also believed to be behind the UK Ticketmaster attack in 2018, which cost them $1.65 million.
- Evil Corp โ This international cybercrime gang is still active and uses various types of malware to attack all types of organizations and institutions across 40 countries, including a school in Pennsylvania, hundreds of banks and financial institutions, and fresh attacks on small to mid-sized US companies in 2020. They targeted 8 Fortune 500 companies with a new breed of ransomware called WastedLocker.
- GozNym Gang โ This gang is behind the GozNym malware which was a powerful Trojan hybrid of the Nymaim and Gozi malware, created to avoid detection by security solutions. Through malicious email attachments and links, the malware affected 41,000 computers and robbed account holders of approximately $100 million. This gang was dismantled in 2019.
Cybersecurity Solutions for Your Business
Cybercrime is on the rise. Protecting your valuable data from advanced persistent threats and ever-changing hacking strategies can be a daunting problem for businesses and healthcare providers. To protect against modern threats, a combination of technical solutions, employee education, and policy directives are necessary.
Safe Network Solutions has the solutions and knowledge to safeguard your sensitive data while minimizing threats to your office, customers, and employees. The best approach to cybersecurity is through a layered approach with cybersecurity experts.
Safe Network Solutionsโ cybersecurity services and solutions include:
- Cybersecurity Assessments
- Microsoft Office 365 Hardening
- Managed IT Security
- Compliance and Regulatory
- Firewall Management
- Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery
- Cybersecurity Awareness Training
Maintaining an effective security posture is essential in safeguarding your sensitive data. Contact us to learn how we can protect your business, improve efficiency, and grow your business with IT support. Call us at (615) 522-0080.
Safe Network Solutions is a technology consulting firm located in Nashville, TN. We are focused on reducing our Clientsโ stress and the time they spend handling IT related issues. As technology has become more integrated with daily business tasks, downtime is not an option. Whether your systems reside on-premise, in the cloud, or in a hybrid setup, you need a partner with expertise in a wide array of technologies, with a security focus.
