Nation states sponsoring increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks

Security experts Carbon Black warn that cyber attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated. It calls out the rise of nation state sponsored groups as one of the causes. These groups are upskilling themselves and playing a much longer game, one that is more associated with intelligence agencies and spies than hackers.
This does not mean that they are eschewing the mundane attacks of malware, cryptojacking and ransomware. After all, these are responsible for generating vast amounts of money for those groups. The end goal seems to be being able to stay undetected inside the enterprises they’ve attacked.
This is, of course, nothing new. Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) are typical of this type of long term attack. Many of them have a life span of at least five years and involve several phases of attack and evolution. They all have a few things in common:
They all come from nation state sponsored groups.
Russia, China, Iran and North Korea are the biggest sponsors of these groups.
Attacks can take years (average 5 years) to discover.
Large enterprises, governments and critical national infrastructure (CNI) are the main targets.
Carbon Black has called out another thing that all these groups have in common. The end goal is not actually IP theft, or just traditional financial gains, but actually espionage.
This is of real concern to many enterprises especially as there is an increase in those paying up when hit with ransomware. Security researchers are seeing details of targets often sold on after the attack. Now, it seems, those same attackers are keeping a foot in the door for later.
Enterprise Times (ET) talked with Tom Kellermann, Chief Cybersecurity Officer at Carbon Black and Rick McElroy, Head of Security Strategy at Carbon Black to get more details on this.
A nexus of cyber security bad guys
Each of the four countries named by Kellermann has its own reasons for sponsoring hacking groups. This include:
Russia: Pawn Storm, Fancy Bear, APT28. This is all about destabilising the West. Russia has adopted the doctrine of General Valerie Gerasimov who was appointed first Deputy Defence Minister by President Putin. He believes that war is a continuum and that Russia needs to use cyber attacks to damage the integrity of the West.
China: Cyber attacks by China are closely aligned with the countries national interest. It has plans to infiltrate those industry sectors that it considers essential to its own safety. One area in which it is concentrating attacks is education. Universities are increasingly involved in commercial research. Kellermann points out that this means: “they have access 2-3 years before research is published. This is, in turn, is up to 4-5 years before ideas are developed.“
North Korea: It’s all about the money and sanctions. The success of North Korea to generate and steal cryptocurrency is not in question. It has been blamed for large numbers of attacks on cryptocurrency exchanges. It has well trained hackers that it sends overseas to create new teams who work to raise funds to send home.
Iran: Having been on the receiving end of cyber attacks (Stuxnet) and with the breakdown of the Nuclear Agreement with the West, Iran sees cybersecurity as a leveller. Kellermann claims that: “They want to level the playing field. If they can’t have nuclear weapons they are willing to take another approach. That approach is cyber security where they have an ambition to be the kings.”
In addition to sponsoring hacking teams, all of these countries trade cyber attack data on the dark web. They make attacks available to the wider hacking community and leak data to enable attacks to take place.
The problem of attribution
One problem that is often overlooked is attribution over an attack. It is easy to write an attack that mimics that from another hacking group or country. What is harder to mimic is the construction of the attack and the minor details in the code. Poor attribution means that it is hard for intelligence agencies to estimate the size of the threat.
This problem is exacerbated by the sharing of attacks. It means that the attacks can come from a number of unexpected sources. However, where the sharing includes access to the source code it does become easier to identify the skilled attacker from the bumbling amateur due to the changes they make
According to McElroy: “We fingerprint by other things than the code. People work the same way on different projects. We put things together to understand the code and the attack. We are also getting better about source origin.” One of the reasons why this is important is that amateurs are looking for a quick result while the nation state teams are looking for a long term play. Identify the difference in each attack and it can help guide defensive responses.
Why we need a change in the way we deal with these attacks
McElroy told us that training hackers and deploying the right tools to breach targets is being done on the dark web. It is relatively simple for anyone to learn the basics of hacking and cheap to buy access to the resources for an effective hacking kit. Hackers are able to join online classes in new techniques and these are about far more than just breaching systems.
What is worrying cyber security teams is the rise in countermeasures being deployed by attackers. They are creating attacks that are not just difficult to spot but also difficult to trace. When the attacks are over, they delete all the files used leaving, at best, just file fragments. This means that forensic investigation teams struggle to identify many of the attack vectors and even the real targets.
Spending money to defeat attackers is a pointless task. McElroy estimates that $96 billion is being spent today to disrupt the attackers. To match the spending of the attackers, McElroy said defenders would need to spend 10x more than today. The emphasis on what is defended also has to change. Companies are so stretched that they are not able to effectively patch systems.
What does defence have to do?
Defence needs to evolve. Rather than react to attack there needs to be a better killchain. This means early identification which can only happen with complete visibility over all the systems and devices an enterprise uses. For many this is impossible as they have no effective asset register that covers basic IT let alone IoT and end-user owned devices. It is not just about the assets. Security teams need to know what is running on every device and what should not be allowed to run. Unless they can identify bad processes they won’t spot attacks until it is too late.
End user organisations need better playbooks to guide their responses. These should not be cast in stone but should adapt to keep pace with the attackers. Current approaches tend to have a very fixed end point – virus cleaned, data restored. They need to do deeper checks into systems to see what has changed or been left behind by the attackers.
There is a need to train teams in forensic awareness. The focus on restoring services often means that data that would identify attackers is lost. Law enforcement needs data that meets evidential standards in order to prosecute. There is a big gap between what is gathered and what is lost.
Hunt quietly is another approach that Carbon Black recommends. Most cybersecurity teams tramp around systems like guards marching around a building. Kellerman believes that we need to be more gamekeeper and hunter/killer than high profile security guard. It is a balance. Overt security puts off a proportion of attackers. A covert approach catches those that get through the lines.
What does this mean
To defeat a sophisticated attacker we need skills, investment and a rethink of how cybersecurity should work. The problem is that we lack the first two and the third requires people to step back. Stepping back when you are firefighting to keep operational is difficult.
Kellerman and McElroy both believe that there is insufficient sharing between different agencies. This is not just between governments but also includes government to business, business to business and importantly, inside organisations.
Regulators in the financial markets have created ways to allow companies to share threat intelligence without breaching compliance laws. Businesses are beginning to put more anonymised data into threat intelligence projects that share the data widely. The latter is essential for the cyber security industry. Without a large enough pool of data, it is hard to train tools effectively. Many of the new tools on the market that rely on machine learning and AI are often trained on very small data sets. It takes greater exposure for them to be realistically effective.
Inside organisations there is much more needed to stop being victims. This includes user training, IT training as well as investment in the security teams. Without this organisations will continue to be easy targets. One of the big things that has to be done is a change of conversation with the board. Kellerman agrees that when we talk cybersecurity, the board shuts down. Talk risk and you have their attention.

Latest Jobs
-
- Account Manager - IT Services
- Germany
- €90000 plus OTE and Car
-
Are you a deal closer with a hunter mindset? Do you know how to uncover business pain points, and turn them into long-term digital transformation partnerships? Our Client are growing their sales force across Germany and looking for an ambitious, straight-talking Account Manager to take the lead on new client acquisition. You’ll focus on mid-sized to large enterprises across Germany helping to shape their digital future with tailored IT solutions in Workplace, Cloud, and Security. • Drive Growth: Own the full sales cycle for new business across your region. • Solution Sell: Build bespoke offers in Security, Digital Workplace and Cloud solutions • Build Relationships: Establish a solid pipeline through smart prospecting, marketing-driven leads, and your own network. • Represent a brand known for trust, delivery, and tech excellence—with 4,000 employees globally and a growing team within Germany. What You Bring • Proven new logo sales experience in the IT services space (not hardware!) • Deep knowledge in one or more of: Cybersecurity, Digital Workplace, or Cloud • Confidence to lead enterprise deals and pitch directly to senior stakeholders • Fluent German and good English skills Sind Sie ein Abschlussprofi mit Hunter-Mentalität? Wissen Sie, wie man geschäftliche Pain Points identifiziert und in langfristige Partnerschaften zur digitalen Transformation verwandelt? Unser Kunde baut derzeit sein Vertriebsteam in ganz Deutschland aus und sucht eine ambitionierte, ehrliche Persönlichkeit als Account Manager, die den Lead bei der Neukundengewinnung übernimmt. Ihr Fokus liegt auf mittelständischen bis großen Unternehmen in Deutschland, denen Sie mit maßgeschneiderten IT-Lösungen in den Bereichen Workplace, Cloud und Security den Weg in die digitale Zukunft ebnen. Ihre Aufgaben • Wachstum vorantreiben: Verantwortung für den gesamten Vertriebszyklus im Neugeschäft Ihrer Region. • Lösungsorientierter Vertrieb: Entwicklung individueller Angebote in den Bereichen Security, Digital Workplace und Cloud-Lösungen. • Beziehungen aufbauen: Aufbau einer stabilen Pipeline durch gezielte Ansprache, marketinggenerierte Leads und Ihr eigenes Netzwerk. • Marke repräsentieren: Werden Sie Teil eines Unternehmens mit 4.000 Mitarbeitenden weltweit und einem stark wachsenden Team in Deutschland – bekannt für Vertrauen, Verlässlichkeit und technologische Exzellenz. Was Sie mitbringen • Nachgewiesene Erfahrung in der Neukundenakquise im Bereich IT-Services (kein Hardwarevertrieb!) • Fundiertes Wissen in mindestens einem der Bereiche: Cybersecurity, Digital Workplace oder Cloud • Selbstbewusstes Auftreten im Umgang mit Enterprise-Deals und Entscheidungsträgern auf Top-Level • Verhandlungssichere Deutschkenntnisse und gute Englischkenntnisse
-
- Senior SOC Analyst Level 3. Microsoft Security stack | Ability to achieve SC Clearance
- London
- To attract the right person
-
Job Title: Senior SOC Analyst Level 3. Microsoft Security stack | Ability to achieve SC Clearance Location: Hybrid remote | London / Berkshire Overview: Senior SOC Analyst Level 3 to join a specialist Managed Security Services business. You will be responsible for advanced threat hunting / triage, incident response etc with a strong focus on the Microsoft Security Stack. Key Responsibilities: Lead and resolve complex security incidents / escalations Conduct advanced threat hunting using the Microsoft Security Stack. Build, optimise and maintain workbooks, rules, analytics etc. Correlate data across Microsoft 365 Defender, Azure Defender and Sentinel. Perform root cause analysis and post-incident reporting. Aid in mentoring and upskilling Level 1 and 2 SOC analysts. Required Skills & Experience: The ability to achieve UK Security Clearance (SC) – existing clearance ideal. (Sorry no visa applications) Current experience working with a SOC environment Microsoft Sentinel: Development and tuning of custom analytic rules. Workbook creation and dashboarding. Automation using Playbooks and SOAR integration. Kusto Query Language (KQL): Writing complex, efficient queries for advanced threat hunting and detection. Correlating data across key tables (e.g., SignInLogs, SecurityEvent, OfficeActivity, DeviceEvents). Developing custom detection rules, optimising performance, and reducing false positives. Supporting Sentinel Workbooks, Alerts, and Playbooks through advanced KQL use. Deep understanding of incident response, threat intelligence and adversary techniques (MITRE ATT&CK framework). Strong knowledge of cloud and hybrid security, particularly within Azure. Additional Requirements: Must hold or be eligible to achieve a minimum of Security Clearance (SC) level. Nice to have certifications (e.g., SC-200, AZ-500, GIAC) are desirable. Strong problem-solving and analytical skills. Excellent communication for clear documentation and team collaboration. Please follow Wheaton’s Law.
-
- New Business Sales Hunter | Cyber Security (UK Based)
- London
- To attract the right person
-
New Business Sales Hunter needed | Cybersecurity (UK Based) Are you looking for uncapped commission, a fun and sociable team that drives success with no politics? If so...You must Be UK based - and able to achieve UK SC clearance. (sorry no visas) Have a demonstrable history of sales success in Cyber Security Follow Weatons law. The role: Seeking a proven New Business Sales Hunter to join an established, successful and expanding cyber security firm. New business focused - £1m GP year one target (ramped). Sell a blend of security services & professional services. Ideal experience selling some or all of the following Cyber strategy & risk management Managed detection & response (MDR) Penetration testing Compliance & audit support You: Strong cybersecurity/IT services sales track record. Confident selling into mid-market & enterprise. UK based - London commutable 1x per week. Hunter mindset, full sales cycle ownership. Don't just send an email to apply give me a call on 07884666351
-
- CyberArk Architect
- London
- Upto £110,000 plus bonus and benefits
-
Are you ready to lead from the front and drive innovation in the Identity & Access Management (IAM) space? We’re looking for a seasoned CyberArk Architect who has CDE-CPC ideally or experience with privilege Cloud, someone who can lead with vision, execute with precision, and inspire teams to deliver excellence. As a key leader in our organisation, you’ll bring your strong business acumen and a technology-focused, innovative mindset to the table. You’ll be driving strategic initiatives, shaping transformation programs, and empowering teams to think big and deliver even bigger. Acting as a subject matter expert in CyberArk Leading strategic transformations in: Identity Governance Privileged Access Management (PAM) Access Management Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) Building and maintaining strong, collaborative relationships within the team Communicating clearly and confidently — both written and verbal — to deliver updates, raise potential issues, and share insights If you are interested in the above position we are looking for people with: deep expertise and a successful track record in IAM strategy, delivery, or assurance with CyberArk Hold relevant certifications such as CDE in Privileged Cloud or Guardian Have experience in a client-facing role (preferred, but not essential) Thrive in a hybrid working environment and are available to work from our or client London office three days a week Lead with clarity, communicate with impact, and adapt quickly to changing priorities