Cyber Attacks Today No Longer Exclusive Domain of Organised Hackers

Bratislava, 9 August (TASR) - Cyber attacks can today be carried out even by ordinary people with no formal education in IT or cyber-security, as all they need is obtain an attacking programme written by someone else, cyber-security experts Stefan Porubcan and Jan Benka told TASR in an interview earlier this week. In addition to individual hackers, attacks are also staged by organised groups, many of which operate just like regular companies – having specialised teams on board, applying internal processes and pursuing a clear 'business model', which, however, violates the law. "In many cases, criminal organisations or even state-sponsored hacker groups, especially in countries such as Russia, China, and North Korea, are behind the attacks," said Porubcan. "These groups wage a kind of a hybrid warfare against ideological enemies and countries by putting important services out of operation, as well as by engaging in data theft, fraud and extortion. The money they obtain can then be invested in further activities," he added. According to Benko, large hacker groups are often run like corporations, with separate teams for developing malicious software, identifying weak points, penetrating victims' networks, negotiating with victims and collecting ransoms. Their goal is to maximise profits, and, for many of them, it's purely business, said Porubcan, adding that if they handle the entire process in a technical and organised manner, it's a functioning business model. He added that today's attackers no longer need to be technically proficient. All they have to do is order malicious software (malware) as a service and distribute it for a fee. Alternatively, artificial intelligence can help them create malicious code. "The idea that a hacker is a lonely boy in a dark basement, with greasy hair under a hoodie and surrounded by monitors, no longer applies. It's more of a romantic idea based on movies, not reality," he said. Porubcan also warned that paying a ransom is no guarantee that encrypted data will be restored because attackers often retain access to the compromised systems even after they provide the decryption keys. In fact, when a ransom is not paid, their motivation to continue such attacks is reduced, he added. jrg/df/am