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In business, as in life, it can be very helpful to have at least some understanding of why people behave in a certain way. For example, in IT security, it can be very helpful to ask “Why do people commit cyber crimes?”. Understanding what leads people to commit cyber crimes can help to stop them.
Fundamentally, there are only two reasons why people commit any sort of crime. One is that they act on the spur of the moment and make an inappropriate decision. The other is they believe the potential reward is high enough to justify the potential risk. In the context of cyber crimes, it tends to be the latter.
This means that the practical answer to the question “Why do people commit cyber crimes?” is that businesses fail to implement robust enough security to deter attackers.
There are currently three main reasons why cybercriminals attack businesses. These are financial gain, espionage and sabotage.
Financial gain is one of the main reasons why cybercriminals attack businesses. They aim to obtain sensitive information, such as financial data or intellectual property, that they can use to generate profit. Cybercriminals may sell this information on the dark web or use it to commit fraud or extortion.
Some common methods used by cybercriminals to obtain financial gain include the following.
Ransomware attacks have emerged as a prevalent form of cyber crime in recent times. Such attacks involve the use of malware to encrypt a victim’s files, making them inaccessible. Cybercriminals responsible for such attacks demand a ransom payment in return for providing the decryption key that unlocks the files.
BEC attacks typically involve a cybercriminal gaining access to a business email account through social engineering tactics, such as phishing or spear-phishing. Once access has been gained, the attacker will monitor the account and use the information to craft convincing emails that appear to come from the legitimate owner of the account, such as a CEO or other high-ranking executive.
These emails will typically request urgent or confidential actions, such as wire transfers or the release of sensitive information. The emails may also include legitimate-looking invoices, purchase orders, or other documents that trick employees into making payments or providing sensitive information.
As the value of cryptocurrencies has risen, cryptocurrency mining has become a prevalent type of cyber attack where an attacker exploits a victim’s computing resources to mine cryptocurrency.
In this type of attack, the attacker typically installs malware on the victim’s device or network to use the device’s processing power to solve complex mathematical problems that generate new units of cryptocurrency.
Once the attacker generates cryptocurrency, it is transferred to their own digital wallet, while the victim may be oblivious of the attack until they notice that their device is running slower than usual or their electricity bill has risen sharply.
In an espionage attack, the cybercriminals aim to gain unauthorized access to a target’s sensitive information, such as trade secrets, intellectual property, or government secrets. They may also be interested in monitoring the target’s activities, stealing sensitive data, or disrupting their operations.
Espionage attacks are often carried out by advanced persistent threat (APT) groups, which are sophisticated cybercriminal organizations with a high degree of skill and resources. These groups use a variety of tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) to gain access to their targets’ networks and systems, including social engineering, spear-phishing, and other forms of targeted attacks.
It is, however, also worth noting that espionage can also be carried out by small-scale cybercriminals, even individuals. In these cases, the tactics may not be at all sophisticated. They may, however, still be very effective, particularly if the company’s security has holes in it. Disgruntled employees may turn to espionage, especially if they are due to leave the company anyway.
Sabotage is a type of cyber attack that has the malicious intent of disrupting an organization’s operations. The primary objective of this attack is to cause damage to the victim’s infrastructure, systems, or data, which can result in financial losses, harm to reputation, and interruption of critical services.
Sabotage attacks can be carried out by external attackers, insiders, or business competitors, and they may employ various techniques to achieve their goals. These include data destruction, system destruction, physical damage, and supply chain attacks.
Data destruction involves deleting or corrupting critical data, while system destruction attempts to disrupt an organization’s infrastructure or systems. Physical damage involves physically damaging an organization’s infrastructure or equipment, while supply chain attacks compromise an organization’s software or hardware supply chain.
To better understand why people commit cyber crimes, it is important to understand the psychology of cybercriminals. As mentioned above, the most common motivations for cyberattacks include financial gain, espionage, and personal vendettas. Some studies suggest that those most likely to engage in cyber crime share similarities with those most likely to engage in other types of crime. These people show higher degrees of impulsiveness, risk taking, disregard for rules and social norms, and recklessness.
Cybercriminals also psychologically exploit their targets through social engineering. Social engineering is the manipulation of human behavior by exploiting people’s trust, good nature, or curiosity. Ways that cybercriminals exploit human behavior include:
One of the most common techniques cybercriminals use to victimize their targets is through phishing. Phishing is a type of cyberattack where attackers try to trick individuals into providing sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, or other personal details. The term “phishing” is derived from the concept of “fishing” for information, with attackers using bait to lure victims into revealing their information.
Common types of phishing include:
The most common type, where attackers send fraudulent emails disguised as legitimate communications. These emails are often designed to look like an official email from a legitimate company, and will contain a link to a fake copy of the company’s website. When the victim enters their private information into the fake website, the information goes directly to the attacker.
Similar to email phishing but through different mediums, smishing uses SMS and vishing uses voice calls. Attackers use text messages or phone calls to trick victims into revealing sensitive information.
A targeted form of phishing where the attacker tailors the attack to a specific individual or organization, often using information about the victim to make the message more convincing.
A form of spear phishing that targets high-profile individuals like executives or politicians.
Cybercriminals often use emotional manipulation as on of their main tactics in phishing and social engineering attacks. By exploiting emotions, they aim to bypass logical thinking and prompt immediate, reflexive responses. Attackers will often try to create a false sense of urgency, or manipulate the victim’s curiosity, sympathy, or fear of missing out. Common tactics for emotional manipulation include:
Cybercriminals create a sense of urgency by claiming that immediate action is needed. For example, they might send an email saying your bank account has been compromised, and you must log in immediately to secure it. This urgency prevents the victim from thinking critically and encourages them to act without verifying the legitimacy of the request.
Attackers impersonate trusted entities or authority figures, such as banks, government agencies, or company executives. They leverage the natural inclination to trust authority or comply with requests from superiors.
Cybercriminals exploit greed by offering something desirable, such as a prize, a job offer, or a lucrative opportunity. Alternatively, they use curiosity, sending a message that piques interest, prompting the victim to click a link or open an attachment.
Another way cybercriminals use psychological tactics to manipulate and exploit their victims is by building false relationships. Cybercriminals often build false relationships with their victims as a method of social engineering. By establishing trust and rapport, they can manipulate their targets into revealing sensitive information, transferring money, or performing other actions that serve the attacker’s goals. This tactic is particularly insidious because it exploits basic human desires for connection, trust, and assistance.
Common types of scams that involve building false relationships include tech support scams, impersonation of trusted contacts, social media manipulation, romance scams, and fake charity scams.
Major types of cyber crimes include:
Financially-motivated cyber crime is the most common type of cyber crime. In financially-motivated attacks, cyber criminals use fraud, extortion, or theft to generate financial gain for themselves. Common types of financially-motivated cyber attacks include ransomware, DDoS, brute force attacks, and social engineering.
These are cybercrimes conducted by or on behalf of a government to further national interests. They often target other governments, corporations, or critical infrastructure.
Hacktivists use cybercrime to promote political agendas, social causes, or to protest against organizations or governments. Examples include attacking government websites, leaking confidential documents, or defacing websites to make political statements. Another common method of hacktivism is exposing hidden information or censorship by governments or corporations.
These cybercrimes are motivated by personal grievances or the desire for revenge against individuals or organizations. For example, targeting someone who has wronged the attacker, such as an ex-partner, former employer, or rival. Common methods of these cyber crimes include engaging in cyberstalking, doxxing (exposing private information), or cyberbullying.
Insider threats are threats that originate from individuals within an organization who have legitimate access to sensitive information and systems. These threats are extremely dangerous, because they can result in customers’ sensitive information being leaked. Insider threats can be broken into two subcategories: malicious insiders, who intentionally seek to cause harm for personal gain, revenge, or competitive advantage, and negligent insiders, who unintentionally compromise security.
Preventing cyber crime is everyone’s responsibility. Ensuring that you are educated in common cyber attacks and understand the steps to take if you believe you are being targeted by an attack is paramount to preventing cyber crime. In order to prevent cyber crime, here are some steps you should take:
Read More:
The Importance Of Cloud Security Compliance: Ensuring Data Protection And Privacy
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