Chapter 3
The Bad Guys You Must Defend Against and How They Plan to Attack You
IN THIS CHAPTER
Clarifying who the “good guys” and “bad guys” are
Seeing how some “good guys” might become “accidental bad guys”
Discovering how hackers attack — and how they profit from their crimes
Exploring threats from nonmalicious actors
Many centuries ago, the now world-famous Chinese military strategist and philosopher, Sun Tzu, wrote:
If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.
If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.
If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.
As has been the case since ancient times, knowing your enemy is necessary to ensure that you can properly protect yourself.
Such wisdom remains true in the age of digital security. Although Chapter 2 covers many of the threats posed by cyber-enemies, this chapter covers the enemies themselves:
- Who are they?
- Why do they launch attacks?
- How do they launch attacks?
- And how do they profit from attacks?
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