In a dark room lit only by the light from four computer monitors sits a hacker named Hector (not his real name). You can hear the faint pulse of an EDM track coming from his headphones as Hector taps away on his computer’s keyboard.

The above description could serve as the setting for a hacker movie set in the early 2000s. But it doesn’t work in today’s context. Nowadays, Hector sits in a brightly lit room with multiple screens at his disposal. He is part of an Advance Persistent Threat (APT) group that rewards him for his work with a monthly salary and bonuses for successful campaigns. Hector is the modern hacker.

Unfortunately, Hector is not alone. He is one of many who have chosen the path of honing his skills for the purpose of committing misdeeds.

More specifically, he is just part of a highly effective, dynamic, determined and hungry team of individuals who receive work for what they do best: breaking and entering without leaving a trace. As a member of the recce team, Hector is responsible for gathering as much information as possible on an intended target as part of the whole campaign. He’s managed by a Project Manager who coordinates the other functions of the whole hacker collective.

To facilitate his work, Hector spends his days creating new aliases for his online presence. He starts with a burner phone which he uses as verification for his identity. He then signs up for an email address and starts creating various online personas. He maintains at the very least 10 identities at any given time. Each of these profiles requires meticulous planning and details. Even under extreme scrutiny, the profile looks legitimate.

With such a profile, Hector makes contact with an individual who has been classified as a (Read more...)