Title: Differentiate between different types of threat actors and their motivations.
Course: Cybersecurity Fundamentals (10302-I) > Section: Understanding Cyber Threats and Vulnerabilities

Differentiation should include, but not be limited to, the following threat actors and their motivations:

- Cybercriminals (organized crime)― well-organized groups or individuals, often operating as part of a Cybercrime-as-a-Service model; motivated by financial gain (e.g., ransomware, credit card fraud, data theft for resale, extortion, banking fraud).
- Nation-State actors―agencies, military units, or hackers sponsored by a government, the most highly funded and sophisticated actors, often deploying Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs); motivation may be espionage (stealing state or corporate secrets), geopolitical advantage, sabotage (disrupting critical infrastructure like power grids or elections), or disinformation.
- Hactivists―moderately sophisticated groups or individuals who use hacking techniques to promote a political, social, or ideological cause, focusing on high-visibility targets; motivated by ideology and protest (e.g., website defacement, launching distributed denial-of-service [DDoS] attacks, leaking embarrassing or sensitive data to generate awareness).
- Insider threats―current or former employees, contractors, or business partners who misuse their authorized access with malice or unintentionally; malicious motivation may be revenge or personal vendetta, financial gain by selling secrets, or espionage; unintentional actions may be due to lack of training, human error, or negligence.
- Script Kiddies or thrill seekers― opportunistic individuals who lack advanced technical skills and rely on pre-made, publicly available tools (scripts) to launch attacks; motivated by the thrill or notoriety (e.g., testing boundaries, causing minor chaos, looking for bragging rights).
- Cyber terrorists―groups who use cyberattacks to instill fear, chaos, or violence to further an extreme political or religious agenda, often by targeting critical infrastructure; motivated to enact ideological violence and create social or political disruption.
- Corporate spies―employees or agents hired by a competitor to steal trade secrets, research data, or business strategies; motivated by the desire to gain competitive advantage (e.g., by stealing intellectual property or confidential business plans).