Nation states and hacktivists: the rising online threats

Banks and even states are increasingly coming under attack from hackers that aren’t in it for the money but have much grander ambitions. Experts talk about the aspirations of cybercriminals bent on corporate espionage, political activism or causing reputational damage

Online attacks have dominated the headlines in 2012, with activist groups such as Anonymous and Lulzsec swiftly achieving worldwide notoriety. In the past, online crime was mainly perpetrated by elusive criminal groups eager to make financial gains, but recent months have seen an alarming new trend become apparent: sophisticated high-level attacks without a financial motive by politically motivated non-state organisations – ‘hacktivists’ – and nation states.

In January, the Tel Aviv Stock