What’s Behind the Acceleration in Attacks

CF: Are there reasons behind the acceleration in attacks?

PH: So we talk a lot about methods, IOCs and TTPs. As for motives, It sounds like there are motivations for countries abroad that maybe feel that they’re in a state of decline. They are isolated by NATO and that kind of stuff. They see things maybe as existential where they’re worried about the continuity of their current form of government and what their country looks like. And so they’re being desperate. It’s hard to go toe-to-toe militarily with a country like the United States, so how else do you attack? So you’ve got all kinds of ways to do it, misinformation, trolls on social media and then you’ve got electronic means to get into the power grid and affect it, something close to what a bomb would do, and shutting down power. They can’t do it militarily, so they’re looking for other means to do it.