What GAO Found
Malicious threat actors continue to present risks to federal systems and the nation’s critical infrastructure. Such attacks can result in serious harm to human safety, the environment, and the economy. The table below describes common cyber threat actors.
Common Cyber Threat Actors
Threat actor
Description
Nations
Nations—including nation-states, state-sponsored, and state-sanctioned groups or programs—use cyber tools as part of their efforts to further economic, military, and political goals.
Transnational criminal groups
Transnational criminal groups, including organized crime organizations, seek to use cyberattacks for monetary gain.
Hackers and hacktivists
Hackers break into networks for reasons including the challenge, revenge, stalking, or monetary gain. In contrast, hacktivists are ideologically motivated actors who use cyberattack tools to further political goals.
Insiders
Insiders are individuals (such as employees, contractors, or vendors) with authorized access to an information system or enterprise and who have the potential to cause harm, wittingly or unwittingly.
Source: GAO analysis. | GAO-23-106869
Cyberattacks can disrupt or damage critical infrastructure, including facilities and assets supporting offshore oil and gas production. For example, the May 2021 ransomware attack on the Colonial Pipeline Company resulted in a temporary disruption in the delivery of gasoline and other petroleum products.
In October 2022, GAO reported that Interior’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement had taken fe ..
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