So far in this course (and later on) the word “attacker” has been used to talk about people who attempt to compromise or gain access to a system. A more formal and cybersecurity-specific term for this is a “threat actor.” A threat actor is an individual or group who carries out cyberattacks. Cybersecurity professionals must be familiar with the motives and level of risk that different threat actors possess in order to know how to deal with them.

*Video Credit: Professor Messer on Youtube

Types of Threat Actors:

Script Kiddies:

Script Kiddies are inexperienced hackers. Sometimes, they are inexperienced to the point where they are not really sure what they are doing. However, they could still cause more accidental damage to a system than an experienced hacker would intentionally inflict. Without control over what they are doing, they can have devastating impacts. If they manage to be a little less destructive, script kiddies are just nuisances to businesses and individuals.

Insider Threats:

An insider threat is a threat from someone who has already had access to a system. An example of this could be a company employee attempting to share confidential information to competitors. Since insiders know the information, structure, or credentials to a system, they could share them at any moment to anyone, making them a cybersecurity risk. Insiders don’t even have to be technology professionals, they just need to reveal enough to other threat actors who will take advantage of their information.

Criminals/Crime Groups:

Cybercriminals primarily seek financial gain, either through hacking to steal or ransom. Within the category of cybercriminals, organized crime groups are more sophisticated in their techniques and are more dangerous than ordinary cybercriminals.

State-Sponsored:

State-sponsored threat actors work for governments. States hire incredibly experienced and sophisticated hackers and security professionals. This makes a government's cybersecurity offense and defense very strong. In regards to attacking, state-sponsored hackers are the most dangerous due to their skills and tools at their disposal.