Top 6 Cyberattacks Against Governments on the Deep and Dark Web

Over the past few years we have seen a spike in attacks against governments worldwide as they have become the targets of increasingly sophisticated cybercriminals. These cybercriminals, (some of whom are state sponsored, many of which are not, like Hacktivists) mainly seek to exploit large governmental repositories of sensitive information for financial gain. 

In addition, with the rise of cyber warfare like we’ve seen in the Russia-Ukraine cyber war and the ongoing Middle East conflict, politically motivated entities or rival countries are launching attacks against governments to engage in espionage and gain strategic advantage. 

Much of the activities and planning before these attacks take place or require resources from the dark web. Due to the anonymity and accessibility of the deep and dark web, these threat actors have found an ideal environment to purchase tools and find forums to openly discuss their activities. Some of what we found in these layers of the web include discussions of threat actors revolving around attack techniques specific to governments, and the trade of sensitive information related to government bodies.

The behaviors of those who work on the dark web pose significant threats to healthcare institutions, including government hospitals – facilitating illegal activities like the sale of stolen personal health information (PHI), ransomware attacks, and the distribution of malware. Hospitals store vast amounts of sensitive data like patient records, financial information, and research data. This makes them lucrative targets for cybercriminals. Successful cyber attacks on hospitals can disrupt medical services, compromise patient privacy, and lead to severe financial losses or legal consequences. 

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