Same break-in, six different reasons
Six people each break into a company's computers on the same night.
One wants money. One is angry about being sacked. One wants to make a political point. One works for a foreign government. One wants to expose a secret. One is a bored teenager.
The damage may look alike. The reasons are very different.
By the end of this lesson
Note
I can name six kinds of threat actor and say what each one wants.
Key words
| Word | What it means |
|---|---|
| Threat actor | a person, group or body that carries out a cyber attack |
| Motive | the reason somebody does something |
| Insider | a current or past worker who still has access |
| Hacktivist | a person who hacks to make a point about a cause |
| Nation state | a country's government and its agencies |
| Ransomware | harmful software that locks data until money is paid |
| Threat intelligence | information gathered to understand and rank threats |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Starter
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Starter
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.
Criminals, insiders and terrorists
Cyber criminals want money. They use ransomware, social engineering or harmful software to steal private information.
Insiders are current or past workers. They already have access. They may want revenge or money.
Terrorist organisations want to disrupt organisations to draw attention to a cause. They may seek recruits, propaganda, money or political change.
Nation states, hacktivists and script kiddies
A nation state steals sensitive information to influence people and damage important services, for political gain.
Hacktivists expose a government agency or a business. They believe they are doing it "for good".
Script kiddies are beginners. They use tools made by others. They attack for the challenge and the thrill of breaking in.
The six actors at a glance
| Actor | Motive | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Cyber criminal | Money | Locks a firm's files and demands payment |
| Insider | Revenge or money | A sacked worker copies the client list |
| Terrorist organisation | Attention, recruits, political aims | Takes a charity website offline |
| Nation state | Political gain, influence | Steals plans from a power company |
| Hacktivist | Expose something for a cause | Leaks a firm's private emails |
| Script kiddie | Challenge and thrill | Runs a downloaded tool on a school site |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Check
Have a go
Check
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.