A country's primary power grid and water treatment facilities have experienced a series of sophisticated, coordinated cyber attacks aimed at causing widespread service disruption. Which of the following threat actors is MOST likely responsible for this type of attack?
The correct answer is 'Nation-state'. Nation-state actors possess high levels of sophistication, resources, and funding, and their motivations often include espionage, political gain, and disrupting the critical infrastructure of other nations. Attacks on power grids and water facilities are characteristic of cyber warfare campaigns intended to cause significant societal and economic harm.
Organized crime is primarily motivated by financial gain and is more likely to use ransomware or steal data for extortion rather than cause widespread service disruption for its own sake.
A hacktivist is typically motivated by political or social beliefs and usually conducts less sophisticated attacks like website defacement or DDoS attacks against specific organizations, lacking the resources for a large-scale infrastructure attack.
An insider threat acts from within an organization, and while potentially disruptive, is less likely to orchestrate a widespread, coordinated attack on national critical infrastructure.
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Why are nation-state actors capable of such sophisticated attacks?
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How are attacks on critical infrastructure executed by nation-state actors?
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How can countries defend against nation-state cyberattacks?