

Despite a rash of indictments and legislation intended to curb such activity, most criminals remain at large due to a lack of extradition agreements between countries and difficulty enforcing international law related to this issue. Inside actors or insider threat: A threat actor convinces an employee or a contractor to share or sell information or access to the system to unauthorized users.Ĭyber espionage, particularly when organized and carried out by nation states, is a growing security threat.
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Most cyber espionage attacks also involve some form of social engineering to spur activity or gather needed information from the target in order to advance the attack.

They’ve spent significant time and resources researching and identifying vulnerabilities within the organization. Adversaries are typically well-funded, experienced teams of cybercriminals that target high-value organizations. An APT attack is carefully planned and designed to infiltrate a specific organization and evade existing security measures for long periods of time.Įxecuting an APT attack requires a higher degree of customization and sophistication than a traditional attack. An APT is a sophisticated, sustained cyberattack in which an intruder establishes an undetected presence in a network in order to steal sensitive data over a prolonged period of time. Most cyber espionage activity is categorized as an advanced persistent threat (APT). Political strategies, affiliations and communications.Business goals, strategic plans and marketing tactics.Client or customer lists and payment structures.Salaries, bonus structures and other sensitive information regarding organizational finances and expenditures.IP, such as product formulas or blueprints.Research & Development data and activity.Targeted campaigns can also be waged against individuals, such as prominent political leaders and government officials, business executives and even celebrities.Ĭyber spies most commonly attempt to access the following assets: The most common targets of cyber espionage include large corporations, government agencies, academic institutions, think tanks or other organizations that possess valuable IP and technical data that can create a competitive advantage for another organization or government. The impact of cyber espionage, particularly when it is part of a broader military or political campaign, can lead to disruption of public services and infrastructure, as well as loss of life.ĭownload the 2022 Global Threat Report to find out how security teams can better protect the people, processes, and technologies of a modern enterprise in an increasingly ominous threat landscape. In some cases, the breach is simply intended to cause reputational harm to the victim by exposing private information or questionable business practices.Ĭyber espionage attacks can be motivated by monetary gain they may also be deployed in conjunction with military operations or as an act of cyber terrorism or cyber warfare. Why Is Cyber Espionage Used?Ĭyber espionage is primarily used as a means to gather sensitive or classified data, trade secrets or other forms of IP that can be used by the aggressor to create a competitive advantage or sold for financial gain. Cyber espionage, or cyber spying, is a type of cyberattack in which an unauthorized user attempts to access sensitive or classified data or intellectual property (IP) for economic gain, competitive advantage or political reasons.
