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Threat Actors
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Threat Actors
Definition
An **actor** is the person, group, or system responsible for an action in a cyber event. In cybersecurity, this most often refers to a **threat actor**, an entity that intentionally attempts to access, disrupt, monitor, or manipulate systems or people without authorization.
Related Terms
Threat Actor
Examples & Use Cases
**An actor can be:** * A **person** (e.g., scammer, hacker, stalker) * A **group** (e.g., cybercriminal gang, nation-state team) * A **system** or **tool** acting automatically (e.g., bots, scripts, spyware) **Common Types You’ll Encounter** * **Cybercriminals** – Financially motivated (fraud, phishing, ransomware) * **Insiders** – Someone with legitimate access who causes harm * Can be malicious, careless, or manipulated * **Nation-State Actors** – Government-backed, highly resourced, strategic * **Automated Actors** – Non-human tools executing attacks at scale **Why Actors Matter in Cyber Analysis** Identifying the actor helps analysts: * Understand motivation (money, politics, access, control) * Predict next steps in an attack * Choose the right defensive response Security analysis isn’t just what happened, it’s who did it and why.
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