Who's hacking you? A guide to cybercriminals

Different types of cybercriminals

1. Scriptkiddies

Inexperienced attackers who use readily available tools and scripts to exploit vulnerabilities. Often driven by curiosity or a desire to prove themselves, they lack in-depth technical knowledge and typically target low-hanging fruit like websites.

2. Hacktivists and Cyberterrorists

Motivated by political or social causes, hacktivists employ tactics like DDoS attacks and website defacement to promote their agendas or to make a statement.​ 

Cyberterrorists, a more extreme subset, aim to inflict fear and damage critical infrastructure through cyberattacks to achieve political or religious objectives.

3. Nation-State Actors / State-Sponsored Hackers

Highly skilled cyber operatives employed by governments to achieve geopolitical objectives. These actors infiltrate foreign networks, steal sensitive information, and disrupt critical infrastructure to gain a strategic advantage.

4. ‘Traditional’ Cybercriminals

Primarily motivated by financial gain, these criminals employ a range of tactics to steal money or personal information.

Cyber Thieves: Focus on financial institutions and individuals, using methods like phishing, identity theft, and credit card fraud.

Cyber Vandals: Differ from other cybercriminals by prioritizing vandalism and notoriety over financial profit. They target systems and data for destructive purposes.

5. Industrial Spies

These cybercriminals target corporate networks to steal valuable intellectual property, including product designs, business plans, and customer data. Their primary goal is to provide a competitive advantage to their employers or clients. 

6. Black Hat Hackers

These malicious actors illegally exploit system vulnerabilities to steal data, often for financial gain. They operate within a subculture that prizes technical skill and notoriety. While some sell stolen data on the dark web, others may be motivated solely by the challenge and recognition within the hacking community. 

Grey Hat Hackers: Operating in a legal and ethical grey area, grey hat hackers access systems without permission but typically do so with good intentions. They often expose vulnerabilities to system owners but may not always follow proper disclosure procedures.