Cyber-Attack Psychology

We already know that cyber attackers have a methodology. They usually perform variations on the following theme:

1. Reconnaissance
2. Penetration
3. Entrench
4. Pivot
5. Disrupt
6. Counter Defense is mixed in throughout

But it’s also useful to consider their psychology because it is often different from the thinking used by defenders. When this is true, defenders trying to study and predict behavior by attackers are likely to fail.

Sun Tzu teaches us that skilled opponents will find ways to get outside of the limits of our expectations. They will have tools, resources and motivations that are foreign to most defenders. They will employ stealth and counter defensive techniques that are designed to avoid and defeat your protections and prevent you from knowing that it is happening. If their payoff is big enough, they may be willing to spend years compromising a target while most defenders will have moved on to another position or another job during the same time-frame.

Any tactics or techniques that you consider to be “out of bounds”, they will consider to give them an advantage. They are willing to take full advantage of any weakness you exhibit, including your limited perception of their ability to defeat you.