The Top 7 Criminal Hacker Groups from Around the World

Cybercrime is a big business. In 2019, the cost of cybercrime was estimated to be around $2 trillion. And as the world becomes increasingly digitized, that number is only going to go up. With so much money at stake, it's no wonder that there are organized groups of criminals dedicated to carrying out cyberattacks. Here are 7 of the most notorious criminal hacker groups in operation today.

1 - Anonymous

Arguably the most famous (or infamous) hacker group in operation today, Anonymous first came to prominence in 2008 with attacks on Church of Scientology websites. Since then, they have been involved in everything from distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks to political activism. While they don't shy away from illegal activity, their main focus seems to be on fighting against what they see as corruption and injustice.

2 - Lizard Squad

Lizard Squad is a group of hackers that rose to prominence in 2014 with a series of high-profile DDoS attacks. One of their most notable attacks was on Sony's PlayStation Network, which took the network offline for several days during the busy holiday shopping season. The group has also claimed responsibility for taking down Xbox Live and various game servers, including Blizzard's World of Warcraft and Minecraft. In addition to DDoS attacks, Lizard Squad is also known for selling stolen credit card information and other sensitive data on the dark web.

3 - Syrian Electronic Army

The Syrian Electronic Army (SEA) is a group of hackers that supports the Syrian government. They have been involved in various high-profile cyberattacks, including ones against The New York Times, The Washington Post, and CNN. In 2013, they hacked into the Twitter account of The Associated Press and sent out a tweet claiming that there had been explosions at the White House and that President Obama had been injured. This caused a brief panic on Wall Street and resulted in a temporary loss of $136 billion in value from U.S. stocks.

4 - Guardians of Peace

The Guardians of Peace (GOP) is a North Korea-based hacker group that came to international attention in 2014 with the attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment. The attack resulted in the release of sensitive internal correspondence, employee information, and several unreleased films. The U.S government later attributed the attack to North Korea in response to Sony's release of "The Interview," a comedy film about an assassination plot against North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

5 - Fancy Bear

Fancy Bear is a group of Russian hackers that has been linked to several high-profile cyberattacks, including the 2016 Democratic National Committee hack and the 2018 World Anti-Doping Agency hack. Fancy Bear has also been accused of carrying out phishing campaigns against Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign staff in an effort to obtain sensitive information such as passwords and email addresses.

6 - Lazarus Group

Lazarus Group is a North Korea-based hacker group that has been linked to several high-profile cyberattacks, including the 2014 attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment and the 2017 WannaCry ransomware attack that affected more than 230,000 computers in 150 countries worldwide. Lazarus Group is also believed to be behind the 2018 heist of $81 million from Bangladesh Bank's New York Federal Reserve account .

7 - Equation Group

Equation Group is a mysterious hacker group that is believed to be affiliated with the U.S National Security Agency (NSA). They gained notoriety in 2015 when documents leaked by Edward Snowden revealed their involvement in various cyber espionage operations . In 2017 , another batch of leaked documents showed that Equation Group had developed tools for infecting hard drives with malware so that even if a computer was wiped clean and reinstalled , the malware would still be present.

Cybercrime is a big business and it's only going to get bigger as we become increasingly digitized. There are criminal hacker groups from all over the world, each with their own methods of attack and techniques. We must stay vigilant and educated on these threats in order to avoid becoming their targets. Taking the time to understand who these groups are, what they specialize in, and how we can protect ourselves is key in staying safe online. Having good security practices, like using two-factor authentication, changing passwords often, avoiding untrusted links or downloads, and installing anti-virus software will make all the difference. With awareness comes power! Take control today and keep yourself secure against malicious attacks from cyber criminals around the world.