Identify your Threat Actors - Threat Modeling framework (2/9)

Threat actors pose a significant and ever-evolving risk to organizations, employing diverse tactics and motivations to exploit vulnerabilities and achieve their objectives. These actors can be broadly categorized as internal or external, each presenting unique challenges to security professionals.

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Internal actors, including malicious insiders and disgruntled employees, often leverage their privileged access and knowledge of systems to inflict damage, steal data, or disrupt operations. Driven by motives like financial gain, revenge, or sabotage, they can cause significant harm from within the organization.

The landscape of external threats is even more diverse. Hacktivists use cyberattacks as a form of protest or to advance a political agenda, often resorting to website defacement, denial-of-service attacks, or data leaks to raise awareness for their cause. Script kiddies, motivated by curiosity or a desire for notoriety, leverage readily available tools and scripts to conduct low-skill attacks, often seeking to cause minor disruptions or prove their abilities. Organized crime groups, highly motivated by financial gain, operate with sophisticated techniques and resources, engaging in ransomware, data extortion, and financial fraud. Nation-states, driven by espionage, sabotage, or political influence, possess advanced capabilities and resources to conduct targeted attacks, including advanced persistent threats, disinformation campaigns, and even cyberwarfare. Competitors, seeking a business advantage, may also resort to cyberattacks, using espionage, sabotage, or disinformation to gain an edge in the market.

The growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) further complicates the threat landscape. AI can be used by both attackers and defenders, leading to more sophisticated attack methods and the need for advanced security measures.

The tables below provide a detailed breakdown of these threat actors, their motives, and their modus operandi (MO), giving you a comprehensive framework for understanding and mitigating the risks they pose.

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