Page 82 - BBC Knowledge - October 2017 IN

Science
/THE BIG PLAYERS
Technology

Who are the most notorious hacking groups
out there and what do they want?

FANCY BEAR
Also known by a myriad of aliases
including Sofacy, APT28 and Pawn
Storm, this highly capable group is
widely believed to operate with at least
the tacit approval of the Russian
government. It has claimed
responsibility for attacks on NATO,
the White House, the French election,
the DNC and the German parliament.

EQUATION GROUP
Classed as one of the most
advanced threats by security
companies, the Equation
LAZARUS GROUP Group (named for the
This group is known for the attacks on Sony Pictures complexity of its encryption)
and the Bangladesh Central Bank in 2014 and 2016, is commonly believed to be
respectively. The Lazarus Group is also thought to affiliated to the NSA and
have attacked the South Korean government has been particularly
between 2007 and 2013. Specialising in financial involved in cyber attacks
attacks and espionage, the group has been linked across the Middle East. One
by researchers and the media to the North Korean such attack was the Stuxnet
regime, albeit not conclusively. worm, which destabilised
Iranian nuclear centrifuges.

UNITED CYBER CALIPHATE SHADOW BROKERS
The UCC, also referred to as the Islamic State One of the newest groups to emerge, Shadow Brokers published leaked
Hacking Division, refers loosely to all groups claiming hacking tools from the NSA in summer 2016, with the possible assistance
to further the ideology of ISIS. Yet it is not known how of a former military contractor at Booz Allen Hamilton. Little is known about
coordinated it is with others, such as the Tunisian the group’s identity or motives, but there is speculation that the leak’s main
group that claimed responsibility for an attack on purpose is to send a message of mutually-assured destruction
the NHS in February. The group has attacked if the US were to retaliate for the group’s hacks on the Democratic National PHOTO: GETTY
American, British and Australian targets. Committee in 2015 and 2016.
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