In this new era of cyber warfare, “knowing thy enemy” is more complicated than ever before. While the private sector continues to experience a cyber skills gap characterized by a lack of specialized talent, the barrier to entry for cybercriminals and attackers is at an all-time low. As geopolitical tensions play out in cyberspace, it can be impossible to distinguish between nation-state-sanctioned actors and non-sponsored criminals.
In the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, allegiances from cybercriminal hacking organizations and prominent hacktivists — hackers acting with a political or social motive in mind — have substantially complicated the threat landscape, attacker attribution, and any hope of defined lines. This “Wild West” era of cyber warfare pits hacktivists against nation-states and, at times, each other, and cybercriminals against private sector businesses, blurring the lines and increasing risks of escalation, collateral and misattribution.