What is a Threat Actor and What do They Want?

The cybersecurity threat landscape is becoming increasingly complex. With cybercrime expected to cost the world up to 10.5 trillion by the end of 2025, businesses can’t afford to be reactive. Understanding the threats they face and preparing for them, is now a basic requirement for staying operational and secure.

Here’s what we’ll cover in this post:

• What a threat actor is

• The different types of threat actors

• What threat actors want

• Who they target

• The methods they use

• How organisations can defend themselves with cyber risk management

• How RMI’s platform GARi helps with Attack Surface Management and proactive defence

What is a threat actor?

A threat actor is any individual, group, or organisation that intentionally seeks to cause harm to cybersecurity. This harm may take many forms, including:

• Data theft

• Service disruption

• Espionage

• Fraud

• Extortion

Some threat actors rely on basic tools and known vulnerabilities, while others use custom malware and long-term infiltration strategies. What unites them is intent: the deliberate exploitation of weaknesses in people, processes, or technology. Understanding threat actors and implementing threat detection management strategies, allows organisations to shift from reactive security to informed, risk-based defence.

What are the different types of threat actors?

Threat actors are typically categorised based on their motivation and level of sophistication. Each type presents different risks and requires different defensive strategies.

Cybercriminals

Cybercriminals are primarily motivated by financial gain. They may operate alone or as part of organised ransomware groups, often working across borders.

Common cybercriminal activities include:

• Payment fraud

• Identity theft

• Credential harvesting

• Ransomware attacks

Many now operate using subscription-based tools or ransomware/malware-as-a-service platforms, lowering the barrier to entry and increasing the volume of attacks.

Learn more: What is a Botnet? And How to Protect Your Business

Nation-state actors

Nation-state actors are linked to government interests and typically pursue strategic objectives rather than immediate financial reward. These objectives may include:

• Espionage

• Intellectual property theft

• Influence campaigns

• Disruption of critical infrastructure

Nation-state operations are usually well-resourced, highly targeted, and difficult to detect. In recent years, the use of automation and artificial intelligence has further increased their reach and effectiveness.

Hacktivists

Hacktivists are essentially political, social, or ideological activists who use hacking as a way to promote their cause or pursue what they see as justice. Their goal is usually visibility rather than profit. Attacks are often designed to embarrass organisations, disrupt services, or leak information to support a cause.

Example: A well-known example is the 2015 breach of the adultery website Ashley Madison, where attackers leaked user data to expose and shame both the company and its customers. The attack was driven by moral opposition rather than financial gain and resulted in widespread reputational damage, legal fallout, and lasting harm to individuals and the organisation.

Thrill seekers / Script kiddies

Thrill seekers are individuals who engage in cyber attacks for curiosity, challenge, or recognition. They are often inexperienced but unpredictable. Although their intentions may not be malicious in the traditional sense, their actions can still cause damage and create entry points for more serious threat actors.

Insider threats

Insider threats originate from within an organisation. This may include employees, contractors, or third-party partners who have legitimate access to systems and data. Insider threats can be intentional or accidental. In both cases, they are particularly dangerous because insiders already bypass many external security controls.

Example: A well-known case is Edward Snowden, a former contractor for the US National Security Agency, who used his authorised access to extract and disclose vast amounts of classified information. The incident demonstrated how a trusted insider, even without exploiting technical vulnerabilities, can cause significant operational, political, and reputational damage.

Cyberterrorists

Cyberterrorists are an individual or group that uses cyberattacks with the intent to cause fear, disruption, or coercion for political, ideological, or religious purposes. Their aim is to use digital attacks to cause widespread disruption and erode public trust. While less common than other threat actor types, cyberterrorist activity can have severe consequences, particularly when critical infrastructure is involved.

Learn more: Dark Web Monitoring: What It Is and Why It Matters

 What do threat actors want?

Threat actors are driven by different motivations, and these motivations influence how they operate and what they target.

Financial gain

Financial motivation is the most common driver of cyberattacks. Ransomware, fraud, and data theft continue to grow because they generate fast returns with relatively low risk. Ransomware, in particular, remains highly profitable, with attacks increasing year on year as organisations struggle to keep systems running while restoring services quickly and meeting regulatory requirements.

Espionage and intelligence

Nation-state actors and corporate spies seek access to sensitive information such as research data, defence intelligence, trade secrets, or political communications. These operations are typically quiet and long-term, focusing on persistence rather than immediate impact.

Ideological influence

Hacktivists aim to shape public opinion, influence policy, or expose perceived wrongdoing. Their success is often measured by attention rather than financial return.

Disruption and destabilisation

Some threat actors focus on disruption as an end in itself. Denial of service attacks, infrastructure sabotage, and service outages can all be used to undermine trust and create instability.

Exploitation of weaknesses

For some actors, the motivation is simply to exploit vulnerabilities. Whether for practice, reputation, or later resale, identifying weaknesses can be a goal in its own right.

Reputation and recognition

Some threat actors are motivated by status rather than financial gain. Successfully breaching a well-known organisation can earn recognition within online communities and establish credibility, even when no money is involved.

 Who do threat actors target?

Threat actors often prioritise large organisations because they hold valuable data, financial assets and sensitive intelligence, and because disruption at scale can cause significant operational and reputational harm. At the same time, small and medium-sized businesses are increasingly targeted because many have weaker security posture and fewer dedicated resources to defend against sophisticated attacks.

In the UK, 43% of businesses reported experiencing a cyber breach or attack in the past year, affecting more than 600,000 companies, and the likelihood of an incident rises with organisational size. Medium and large firms remain particularly exposed, with prevalence rates higher than for smaller companies. 

Globally, the sheer volume of attacks underscores the broad targeting of organisations regardless of size. Microsoft’s latest threat analysis shows that its customers face an astonishing 600 million cyberattack attempts every day, highlighting how persistent and widespread threat actor activity has become. 

In other words, most organisations, big or small, are likely to be targeted at some point. Where there is an unprotected path to critical systems, threat actors will find it.

Learn more: Digital Footprint: What It Is and Why It Defines Your Cyber Risk

What methods do threat actors use?

Threat actors rely on a range of techniques, often combining several methods in a single attack.

Malware

Malware is malicious software designed to infiltrate systems, steal data, or create unauthorised access. It remains a core component of many attacks.

Ransomware

Ransomware encrypts systems or data and demands payment for restoration. It is often delivered via phishing emails or exploited vulnerabilities and can bring operations to a halt within minutes.

Phishing

Phishing uses deceptive messages to trick users into revealing credentials or downloading malicious files. It remains one of the most effective and widely used attack methods.

Social engineering

Social engineering exploits human behaviour rather than technical weaknesses. Attackers may impersonate trusted contacts, create urgency, or manipulate emotions to bypass security controls.

Denial of service attacks

Denial of service attacks overwhelm systems with traffic, rendering them unavailable. These attacks are often used to disrupt operations or distract defenders while other activity takes place.

Advanced persistent threats

Advanced persistent threats involve long-term, targeted access to systems. They prioritise stealth and persistence and are commonly associated with nation-state actors.

Backdoor attacks

Backdoors provide hidden access to systems, allowing attackers to return at will. These attacks are particularly dangerous because they can remain undetected for long periods.

Learn more: Cloud Information Security: How to Stay Secure in a Borderless Environment

Exploitation of vulnerabilities

Threat actors routinely exploit known and unknown vulnerabilities in your systems. Unpatched systems, misconfigurations, and unsupported applications are common entry points, particularly when vulnerability management processes are inconsistent/incomplete.

Zero-day exploits

Zero-day exploits take advantage of previously unknown vulnerabilities in software or hardware. Because developers are unaware of these flaws, there is no patch available, giving attackers a window of opportunity to compromise systems before defences can be updated.

Threat actors use zero-day exploits to gain unauthorised access, deploy malware, or move laterally within networks. These attacks are particularly dangerous because they bypass traditional security controls and are difficult to detect until the vulnerability is discovered and remediated.

Credential attacks

Credential attacks focus on stealing valid login details to gain unauthorised access. These attacks often rely on phishing, credential stuffing, or password reuse and are effective because they bypass many traditional security controls by appearing as legitimate user activity.

Network intrusion

Network intrusion involves gaining unauthorised access to internal networks to move laterally, escalate privileges, and access sensitive systems or data. Once inside, threat actors may remain undetected for extended periods while they map the environment and prepare follow-on attacks.

Supply chain attacks

Supply chain attacks target third-party vendors, service providers, or software dependencies to compromise multiple organisations through a single entry point. By exploiting trusted relationships, threat actors can bypass perimeter defences and gain access to otherwise well-protected environments.

How to defend against threat actor cyber attacks

Effective defence starts with visibility. Organisations cannot protect what they do not know exists.

Attack Surface Management

Attack Surface Management identifies, monitors, and assesses all digital assets that could be exposed to attack. This includes:

• Known systems

• Forgotten services

• Misconfigured cloud resources

• Third-party connections

Reducing exposure limits opportunities for threat actors and enables more focused, risk-based defence.

How RMI’s GARi platform helps

 RMI’s GARi is an Attack Surface Management platform with cyber threat intelligence, designed to support modern cyber security risk management by giving organisations clear visibility of the threats and exposures that matter most. It combines External Attack Surface Management with intelligence-led insight to help security teams identify, assess, and reduce cyber risk before it is exploited.

As a unified threat intelligence platform, GARi brings together cyber threat intelligence tools and continuous monitoring to support effective threat detection and management. This enables organisations to move beyond reactive defence and take a proactive approach to managing cyber security threats.

With GARi, organisations can:

Identify exposed and unmanaged assets across their external attack surface

Monitor changes that introduce new risk or expand the attack surface

Prioritise issues using real-world cyber threat intelligence and attacker behaviour

Strengthen vulnerability management and broader threat and vulnerability management processes

Align defensive action with how real threat actors operate

GARi enables continuous cyber threat intelligence by monitoring exposed assets and correlating them with real-world threat activity, allowing organisations to assess risk dynamically as conditions change. By combining intelligence gathering with automation and context, GARi enables faster, more confident decision-making.

Rather than focusing solely on alerts, GARi helps organisations understand why something matters and where to act first. This intelligence-driven approach reduces exposure, improves resilience, and strengthens long-term cyber risk management.

 Stay ahead of evolving threat actors

Threat actors are constantly adapting. Their tools, motivations, and targets evolve faster than traditional security models can keep up. Staying secure requires visibility, intelligence, and a proactive approach to risk.

Stay informed about evolving threat actors with RMI Cyber’s threat intelligence insights. Contact us for a demo of GARi, our cutting-edge Attack Surface Management platform.