Cyber-criminals as cunning and devious hackers, with almost magical computer skills

According to BBC, there’s no real definition of what a sophisticated attack is, but a more elaborate hacking incident might involve gathering intelligence on a specific, complex network before it could be successfully and subtly exploited.


Attacks like that do happen. But more often than not, the hackers and cyber-criminals hitting the headlines aren’t doing anything magical. In fact, they’re often just wily opportunists – like all criminals.


Because our world is so much more connected than ever before, and those connections are often woefully insecure, it’s relatively easy to find ways of exploiting computer systems illegally. And ransomware in general is increasingly successful. In 2016, criminals made an average of $1,077 with every attack. For the BBC's Cyber-hacks series, Click's Spencer Kelly discovered how cyber-criminals can acquire off-the-shelf ransomware using only a search engine.  


“Criminals are lazy as well as clever,” says Woodward. “That’s why they don’t walk into banks with shotguns anymore. It’s easier to go and steal stuff online.”