Читать книгу CompTIA Pentest+ Certification For Dummies - Glen E. Clarke - Страница 28

A threat actor is a person or entity that causes the threat against your assets. When it comes to hacking, you should be aware of some common threat actors:

 Script kiddies: A script kiddie is a person who does not necessarily have much background on how attacks work; they simply run some automated tools to try to exploit systems. Their intent is typically for the challenge, and also bragging rights.

 Hacktivist: A hacktivist is a person who hacks for a cause, such as for political purposes or for social change. The capabilities of the hacktivist can range from basic to advanced hacking knowledge, such as is the case with the infamous hacking group called “Anonymous.”

 Insider threat: Insider threats are threats from inside your organization or inside your network. These can be very serious threats of malicious destruction from a disgruntled employee or even innocent mistakes made by other employees.

 APT: An Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) is an advanced hacking process such as one found in a nation-state–sponsored group or person that gains unauthorized access to a network for political or economic reasons. The attack typically happens to gain unauthorized access for a long period of time, such as many months, by planting malicious software on the system that will monitor activity, collect sensitive data, or damage the system. APT also includes advanced hacks on financial institutions, defense contractors, and software companies such as Twitter or Facebook, which would contain a wealth of sensitive information the hacker would like to collect.