Nation State Threats

guest · Aug 14, 2019

Nation State Threats
August 13, 2019
https://www.cyberdefensemagazine.com/nation-state-threats/

Each nation-state cyber threat actor has its own goals and reasons for conducting cyber attacks. Some state-sponsored actors concentrate their efforts on espionage, while others focus on warfare-type operations. While these types of actors rarely turn their attention to generating money, they are nonetheless well-funded, typically through consistent money streams from their respective governments.
Attackers Work More Methodically Than First Thought
Today’s attackers have formerly unsuspected commonalities, actually operating in a unified, professionalized, and sophisticated manner when conducting cyber attacks.
This means we fail to recognize the scale at which these attacks can unfold. Within each attacker group, individual people have extremely specific jobs.

While a nation-state actor might focus heavily on intelligence gathering; a financial actor such as Carbanak turns its attention to financial gain. Nevertheless, each actor utilizes similar Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) to conduct their attacks
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mirimir · Aug 14, 2019

I suspect that there's considerable overlap. For example, I recall reading that the NSA has recruited botnet and malware creators. And I've also read that some of them went back to doing malware and botnets after their NSA gigs.

guest · Aug 14, 2019

Immunity for past and future misdeeds?

mirimir · Aug 15, 2019

guest said: ↑

Immunity for past and future misdeeds?
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Maybe. More likely, I think, "don't ask, don't tell".

guest · Dec 10, 2019

The State-Sponsored Cyberthreat Landscape
December 10, 2019
https://blog.radware.com/security/2019/12/the-state-sponsored-cyberthreat-landscape/

There is a global chess match between nation-states, businesses and the various digital assets contained within these organizations. The result is that state-sponsored cyberattacks have emerged as one of the preeminent threats targeting companies today.

In recent years, large-scale cyberattacks have been attributed to state-sponsored groups ranging from superpowers such as Russia and China to smaller countries such as Iran and North Korea. New battle lines have been drawn across the world, and organizations require the expertise and tools to fight state-sponsored cyberattacks.
The Threat Landscape
World governments are actively investing in building and operating cyber-espionage teams to both protect their national interests and collect IP for their domestic industries.
The Major Players
Here is a breakdown of the five-largest state-sponsored groups that are currently active: APT28, also known as Fancy Bear, Pawn Storm and Sofacy [...] The Equation Group [...]
Lazarus Group, also known as Hidden Cobra [...] APT1, also known as Unit 61398 and the Comment Crew [...] APT33, also known as Elfin [...]
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mirimir · Dec 10, 2019

I bet that Israel has one. Supposedly not top five, though.

But I'd be very surprised if Iran's group is more dangerous than Israel's group. Pretty much NSA level, I'd expect.

So they're just likely more covert.

guest · Dec 23, 2019

Nation-State Attacks: Motivations & Consequences
December 19, 2019
https://blog.radware.com/security/a...ation-state-attacks-motivations-consequences/

The motivations and resulting consequences of state-sponsored cyberattacks are as far ranging as the geographies from which they originate. Nation-state hackers target government agencies, critical infrastructure and any and all industries known to contain sensitive data or property.

Typically, they strike via sophisticated techniques that interrupt business operations, leak confidential information and generate massive data and revenue loss.
Costly Impacts
Of all the primary impacts from state-sponsored attacks, one of the worst is the loss of IP. The compromise of IP can be one of the most crippling results of a state cyberattack for a business — with the results reverberating for decades.
Take the manufacturing industry for example. Remarkably, 94% of all cyberattacks currently aimed at the manufacturing industry are motivated by espionage, usually with the intent to steal trade secrets, according to the Swedish Security & Defense Industry Association (SOFF).

Lastly, military/national defense goals are also impacted. In particular, smaller nation-states seeking to gain military parity with larger countries will rely on cyberattacks to level the playing field.
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guest · Jan 27, 2020

Mitigating the State-Sponsored Threat
January 23, 2020
https://blog.radware.com/security/2020/01/mitigating-the-state-sponsored-threat/

Simply put, most enterprises don’t have the in-house expertise to battle government-backed cyber operations. It is neither advisable nor practical for businesses to go at it alone when facing APT groups. Most organization don’t have the budget or expertise to battle APT groups in real time.

Enterprises can never invest enough resources to stay ahead of the rapidly evolving threat landscape; however, cloud DDoS and service providers have both the scale and power of crowd-sourcing to supplement an organization’s in-house expertise to protect it from the most nefarious state-sponsored actor.
Four Strategies
Here are four key strategies that any and every organization should consider before mitigating the state-sponsored threat: [...]
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guest · Feb 28, 2020

Nation State Attacks Are on the Rise. Here’s Why You Should Be Worried
February 27, 2020
https://blog.radware.com/security/2...-on-the-rise-heres-why-you-should-be-worried/

The current political tensions around the world are creating precarious scenarios for governments, businesses and citizens alike. Threats come in all guises and cyber-warfare has moved firmly up the agenda.
Predictions made at the start of 2019 suggested that nation state attacks would rise in the future. What hadn’t been anticipated was how rapidly matters would accelerate.
Protection at All Costs
It’s obvious that governments need to be aware of the tactics at play and ensure systems, especially those that hold sensitive information, national secrets and citizen data are protected at all costs.

There are of course a number of hacktivist groups undertaking campaigns motivated by the need to highlight social, economic or political inequalities.
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TTPs to Note
There are five major groups working at large consistently and it’s important to study them, their likely targets and their tactics. They are:
ATP28 Russia – also known as Fancy Bear, Pawn Storm and Sofacy [...] APT1 China – also known as Unit 61398 and the Comment Crew [...]
Lazarus Group North Korea – also known as Hidden Cobra [...] APT33 Iran – also known as Elfin [...]
Equation Group US [...]

Understanding their motivations will uncover what you have to do to prepare, and help prioritize your steps to readiness and investment. This should be a priority for companies that are in the most vulnerable sectors, as well as those who have associations to them.
Cyber-threats are not going to go away, but nor will any of the other risks we already face day in day out. There is no silver bullet.
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guest · Apr 15, 2020

How to Protect Your Business From Nation State Cyberattacks
April 15, 2020
https://blog.radware.com/security/2...your-business-from-nation-state-cyberattacks/

In light of recent geopolitical events, there is heightened concern of espionage, nation state attacks and hacktivism. In 2019, there was a 42% increase in cyberattacks attributed to foreign governments. Cyberattacks tied to cyberwar, or geopolitical conflict, increased from 19% in 2018 to 27% in 2019. Companies in North America reported even higher nation-state attribution, at 36%.

These are not new concerns, but today attacks have increased in prevalence and sophistication and as a result, have become major threats for organizations today. What is the difference between each of these threats and how can businesses protect against them?
What is Cyberespionage?
Cyberespionage is the act of stealing sensitive data or intellectual property (IP) for competitive advantage or economic benefit. The key to cyberespionage is being covert and undetectable allowing cybercriminals to maintain a foothold in a target’s network for long durations. Often hackers stealthily enter networks and remain undetected for years.
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What is Cyberwarfare?
When one nation-state penetrates another nation’s networks for the purposes of causing damage or disruption, this is cyberwarfare. Nation-state cyberwarfare hackers target government agencies, critical infrastructure and industries known to contain sensitive data or property.
What is Hacktivism?
Hacktivism activities have increased in recent months, expressing social and political agendas via cyber-protests.
Unlike espionage, which is performed covertly, hacktivists want to be seen.
Hacktivist tactics include website defacements to change the visual appearance of a website.
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How to Protect Your Organization?
This a very tense time for the cybersecurity industry. With the recent ramp-up of cyberespionage, cyberwarfare and hacktivism, how can organizations head off digital conflict and protect themselves? [...]
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