Cyber Sessions: Understanding the risks of state-sponsored threats

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The digital landscape that we live and work in every day is a limitless frontier of opportunity and innovation. But it’s also a battleground. Behind the scenes, so-called nation-state cyber actors, armed with advanced capabilities and political agendas, pose a threat to our businesses and critical infrastructure. We need to illuminate this growing danger and equip our business leaders with the knowledge to protect their organizations.

There is an array of nation-state cyberthreats. But four nations stand out for the persistence and sophistication of their cyber activities. China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea each hold their own motivations and ambitions, using distinct tactics to achieve those objectives.

China is driven by a desire for global dominance and technological supremacy. It is considered the most advanced threat actor, engaging in widespread cyber espionage to steal intellectual property and fuel its economic and military aspirations. Russia is running offensive cyber operations to disrupt critical infrastructure, influence political outcomes and advance its geopolitical interests.

Iran utilizes cyber tools for influence operations and financial gain, and it aims to bolster its regional influence and counter its adversaries. Its capabilities are rapidly evolving, posing an ever-increasing threat. Then there is North Korea, driven by a need to finance its regime and develop weapons programs. It uses cyberattacks, primarily for financial gain, targeting organizations across the globe.

These threat actors use a diverse arsenal, from tried-and-true methods such as phishing emails and malware to cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence. Social engineering is where they focus on exploiting human vulnerabilities through manipulation and deception. It’s a foundational aspect of their strategy. Advanced persistent threats are stealthy cyberattacks that involve remaining undetected inside target systems for a long time. These highly skilled actors infiltrate networks, exfiltrating data and disrupting critical systems for months at a time.

The consequences of successful cyberattacks by nation-states on our businesses and our nation are severe and include data breaches, critical service disruptions, damage and economic impacts. Prioritizing cyber resilience is a sound business decision and a national security imperative. Businesses store sensitive data, intellectual property, financial data and other high-risk information. A successful attack can compromise these assets and raise the risks of theft, service outages, fines and reputational damage.

Disruptions to systems can be catastrophic. Critical infrastructure has become a key target of cyberattacks. A successful attack can result in essential service disruptions, economic damage and risks to public safety.

There are key strategies to reduce the risk.

Businesses must identify their critical systems and data assets and understand their dependencies on them. Uncover the data and systems that are critical for business operations and document their dependencies on technology, supply chains and third parties.

Empower employees to recognize and report suspicious activity to effectively combat social engineering attempts. With such a high percentage of cyberattacks and breaches originating from a human component, it is essential to keep staff aware and trained on identifying and reporting risks.

Build and update response and recovery plans to reduce the impact of these threats. Exercising that plan under as realistic circumstances as possible is the only way to ensure that an organization can reduce the impact and rapidly recover from an attack.

The fight against nation-state cyberthreats is constant and complex. It requires business leaders to have awareness, collaborative cultures and a commitment to improving and adapting security. We have a responsibility to prioritize cybersecurity and invest in cyber resilience. By building resilient cultures and collaborating with government agencies, security vendors and industry experts, we can create a more secure and resilient landscape.