Cyber crimes have been a great concern in the recent days. Like two sides of a coin, the emergence and development of science and technology not only led to the enhancement of human lives but also caused several concerns and threats. Recent studies suggest that the number of cyber crimes is alarmingly high in developed as well as developing countries. Something that started at individual levels has grown to a level affecting the safety of several countries. A new study by Microsoft is the talk of the town. According to it, cyber crimes are increasingly in favor of countries like Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. These countries have been relying on cyber criminals and cyberespionage to work against their adversaries like the US and others.
This report exposes the blurring gap between the proposed state’s activities and the illicit cybercrimes by hackers and other cybercriminals causing great concerns in national security. In light of Microsoft’s recent report, national security officials and cybersecurity experts have commented that the activities between authoritarian governments and cybercriminals are ever-increasing. The report also suggests that several motives lie behind the affinity of cybercriminals in helping these authoritarian governments. Although they are more interested in financial gains, government protection and other bonuses from these governments have attracted such groups all around the globe.
Microsoft’s analysts cited an incident in which the hackers infiltrated to an Israeli dating site. The data collected from this site was tried to sell to Iran for ransom. According to analysts, these hackers had multiple motives such as financial gain and an opportunity to defame Israelis.
Another incident reported in this study was regarding the cybercrime by Russian criminals. They infiltrated more than 50 electronic devices used by the Ukranian military. This incident which happened in June favored Russia to collect information about the Ukranian invasion of Russia. However, there are no reports regarding the financial motive of the hackers behind this incident. Even then experts suggest that the group might have obtained certain amount from Russia.
More than just the hackers and criminals gaining benefits from these activities, they are found to be mutually beneficial. While cybercriminals get large ransoms, financial profit, and government protection, authoritarian countries gain insights into the military, power, strategies, and plans of their adversaries. So, it is believed that countries like Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran have their own hacker groups and cybercriminals who work only for these countries.
Tom Burt, the vice president of Microsoft says that evidence of the countries sharing resources with each other and working together in these criminal activities have not been available to date. However, he also suggests that the huge rise in cyber mercenaries confirms the extensive and dangerous use of cyber crimes by US adversaries. He also comments that these reports confirm that the adversaries are growing in such a way as to weaponize the internet in the most ruthless way.
The Microsoft report that analyzed the cyber crimes from July 2023 to June 2024 confirms that each country has a specific target in these cyber activities. While Russia mainly targets Ukraine and its military operations, and American natives, China and Iran target American voters. According to reports, Russia focuses on the campaign of Kamala Harris and Iran works to oppose former president Donald Trump. Meanwhile, China is believed to have stayed away from the presidential race and maintained its focus on Taiwan and other countries.
After the report gained popularity, the spokespersons of all these countries including China, Russia, and Iran have rejected the claims suggesting that they do not encourage cyber crimes and cyberespionage.
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