ORGANIZATIONAL ESPIONAGE DEFINITION SOFTWARE

Zero-day exploits: Cybercriminals leverage an unknown security vulnerability or software flaw prior to discovery and patching by the software developer or the customer’s IT team.

Spear-phishing: A hacker targets specific individuals with fraudulent emails, texts and phone calls in order to steal login credentials or other sensitive information.Watering hole: Malicious actors are able to infect legitimate websites commonly visited by the victim or people associated with the target with malware for the explicit purpose of compromising the user.In doing so, cybercriminals trick their victims into giving up personal information, clicking malicious links, downloading malware or paying a ransom. These methods often exploit human emotions such as excitement, curiosity, empathy or fear to act quickly or rashly. Most cyber espionage attacks also involve some form of social engineering to spur activity or gather needed information from the target in order to advance the attack. They’ve spent significant time and resources researching and identifying vulnerabilities within the organization. Adversaries are typically well-funded, experienced teams of cybercriminals that target high-value organizations. An APT attack is carefully planned and designed to infiltrate a specific organization and evade existing security measures for long periods of time.Įxecuting an APT attack requires a higher degree of customization and sophistication than a traditional attack. An APT is a sophisticated, sustained cyberattack in which an intruder establishes an undetected presence in a network in order to steal sensitive data over a prolonged period of time. Most cyber espionage activity is categorized as an advanced persistent threat (APT). Political strategies, affiliations and communications.Business goals, strategic plans and marketing tactics.Client or customer lists and payment structures.Salaries, bonus structures and other sensitive information regarding organizational finances and expenditures.IP, such as product formulas or blueprints.

Research & Development data and activity.Targeted campaigns can also be waged against individuals, such as prominent political leaders and government officials, business executives and even celebrities.Ĭyber spies most commonly attempt to access the following assets: The most common targets of cyber espionage include large corporations, government agencies, academic institutions, think tanks or other organizations that possess valuable IP and technical data that can create a competitive advantage for another organization or government. The impact of cyber espionage, particularly when it is part of a broader military or political campaign, can lead to disruption of public services and infrastructure, as well as loss of life.ĭownload the 20223 Threat Intelligence Report to find out how security teams can better protect the people, processes, and technologies of a modern enterprise in an increasingly ominous threat landscape. In some cases, the breach is simply intended to cause reputational harm to the victim by exposing private information or questionable business practices.Ĭyber espionage attacks can be motivated by monetary gain they may also be deployed in conjunction with military operations or as an act of cyber terrorism or cyber warfare. Why Is Cyber Espionage Used?Ĭyber espionage is primarily used as a means to gather sensitive or classified data, trade secrets or other forms of IP that can be used by the aggressor to create a competitive advantage or sold for financial gain. During the attack, enormous amounts of sensitive data were stolen, but the culprits are unknown to this day.Cyber espionage, or cyber spying, is a type of cyberattack in which an unauthorized user attempts to access sensitive or classified data or intellectual property (IP) for economic gain, competitive advantage or political reasons. In 2006, spies targeted 70 organizations including the United Nations and the International Olympic Committee with malware delivered via email.In 2010, a wide-ranging cyber espionage operation called Operation Aurora was launched against over 20 different corporations, including tech giants like Google and Yahoo, to steal swathes of intellectual property.In corporate espionage, spies steal things like financial information, private patents, or client information from their competitors.In national cyber espionage, a government-sponsored attack targets another nation state.Cyber espionage can be carried out by private individuals, competitors, and governments for economic, political, or personal gain. (also cyber spying) Cyber espionage definitionĬyber espionage is the practice of using digital means to access and obtain secrets and information without authorization.

Organizational espionage definition