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Mahima Bhardwaj
Mahima Bhardwaj

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ATTACKER PROFILES AND MOTIVATIONS

Script Kiddies
They are the individuals with limited technical skills who readily use hacking tools and scripts to carry out attacks . They often target small organization and may engage in hacking for fun.Script kiddies are often seen as nuisance rather than a significan threat to security professionals. Engagaing in hacking activities, even as script kiddies can be illegal and unethical.

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Limited Technical Knowledge - Script kiddies typically lack the
deep technical understanding than more experienced hackers possess.
They may not have the programming skills to develop their own tools.

Use of automated tools - They are heavily rely on tools which are
created by skilled hackers.They may not have programming skills to
create their own tools.

Minimal Originality -They just copy and paste code. They does not
have any knowledge of how code works.

Target easy Target - They target small organization where they can easily find out security weakness.

Limited Scope - They simply engage in simple and easy attacks sucha s defacing websites(change the look of website without owner permission and replace its content), attempting DDOS(Distributed Denial of service attacks) or attempted basic Social Engineering.

Lack of ethics - Some young or inexperienced hacker does not understand fully that whatever they are doing is illegal and can cause harm to businesses or people.

Hactivists

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They are Hackers or group of Hackers. They are skilled in computer science technology and do hacking to raise social issues. They also conducts online actions such as website defacements,data breaches or DDOS attacks or other form of digital activism to achieve their goals.

Motivated By ideals - They are driven by social or political issues, and try to resolve those causes through their hacking skills. They may target audience or organization they see as opposing their ideals.

Political or social Activism - They use their technical skills to raise awareness about social injustices,governments actions , censorship or other issues they deeply care about.

Civil Disobidience - They use civil disobidience to leak sensitive information to expose corruption, surveillance(keeping an eye on someone), misconduct(Misbehavior). They often see themselves as whistleblowers(person who reports illegal, unethical or dishonest activities).

Anonymity - Many hactivists operate anonymity to avoid detection by law enforcements and hide their identities.

Publicity and attention -They want to grab media attention making their cause more visible and raising public awareness.

Varied techniques - Hactivists use varied techniques from website defacements to ddos attacks to bring awareness.

Diverse Groups - Hactivist group can be varied in size from small organization to well stuctured large organization.

Cyber Criminals
They are motivated by financial gain. They engage in activites like credit card fraud, ransomaware attacks, identity theft and online scams to generate profits. They often target valuable information.

Hacking: Gaining unauthorized access to computer systems, networks, or databases with the intent to steal information, disrupt services, or compromise security.

Malware Distribution: Creating and distributing malicious software (malware) such as viruses, worms, Trojans, ransomware, and spyware to infect and control victims' devices.

Phishing: Sending deceptive emails or messages to trick individuals into revealing sensitive information, such as passwords, credit card details, or personal data.

Identity Theft: Stealing personal information to commit financial fraud, apply for loans or credit, or conduct other illegal activities using the victim's identity.

Online Fraud: Engaging in various forms of online fraud, including credit card fraud, online scams, or auction fraud, to deceive and defraud individuals or businesses.

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Attacks: Overloading targeted websites or online services with massive amounts of traffic, rendering them inaccessible to legitimate users.

Data Breaches: Illegally accessing and disclosing sensitive information, often resulting in data leaks that can have serious consequences for individuals and organizations.

Cyber Extortion: Threatening to release sensitive information or disrupt services unless a ransom is paid.

Cyber Espionage: Conducting cyber-attacks to gather sensitive information for political, economic, or competitive advantages.

Black Market Activities: Participating in underground markets to buy and sell stolen data, credentials, hacking tools, or other illegal services.

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