In the ever-evolving landscape of cyber threat actors, the lines between ideologically driven hacktivism and financially motivated cybercriminals have become increasingly blurred.
Originally fueled by political, social, or ethical causes, hacktivist groups have historically engaged in digital protest through website defacements, data leaks, and distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. However, in recent years, a noticeable trend has emerged. Some hacktivist groups are evolving into ransomware operations and even becoming ransomware affiliates. This transformation is driven by a mix of ideological fatigue, opportunity for financial gain, access to sophisticated tools, and the growing profitability of extortion-based attacks.
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Source: Rapid7
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