What are Cyber Operations?

Cyber operations teams face a constantly evolving threat landscape. Understanding these common attack types helps in building effective defenses.

Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs)

APTs represent some of the most sophisticated attacks that cyber operations teams encounter. These long-term campaigns typically:

• Target high-value organizations or government entities

• Use multiple attack vectors and maintain persistent access

• Focus on stealing sensitive data or intellectual property

• Employ advanced techniques to avoid detection

A recent example of an APT campaign targeted Vietnamese human rights defenders using spyware-laced Android apps to conduct surveillance. This operation, attributed to the threat actor Predator, leveraged social engineering and advanced mobile surveillance tools to monitor activists’ communications, location data, and other sensitive information.

The campaign highlights how APTs don’t just go after governments or corporations—they can also be weaponized against individuals advocating for human rights, making it crucial to protect vulnerable communities from these persistent and sophisticated threats.

Ransomware and Malware

Ransomware continues to be a major concern for organizations worldwide. These attacks:

• Encrypt critical data and demand payment for decryption

• Can spread rapidly across networked systems

• Often enter through phishing emails or vulnerable systems

• May result in significant downtime and financial losses

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Attacks

DDoS attacks aim to overwhelm systems and make services unavailable. They typically:

• Use multiple sources to flood targets with traffic

• Can target websites, applications, or network infrastructure

• May serve as distractions for other malicious activities

• Require robust mitigation strategies to counter effectively

Social Engineering and Phishing

Human-targeted attacks remain highly effective because they exploit psychology rather than technical vulnerabilities:

• Phishing emails that trick users into clicking malicious links

• Business Email Compromise (BEC) schemes targeting financial transactions

• Pretexting attacks that use fabricated scenarios to gather information

• Baiting attacks that offer something enticing to deliver malware