Cyber operations represent the broader discipline of managing and conducting activities in cyberspace, integrating cybersecurity, intelligence, risk management, resilience, and mission support to achieve organizational objectives.

Before attempting to compromise an organization, threat actors typically conduct extensive reconnaissance to understand its digital footprint, publicly exposed systems, technologies, and potential weaknesses. They assess internet-facing assets, publicly available information, organizational structure, cloud services, third-party relationships, and other external indicators to identify opportunities for unauthorized access.

Yes, Every Organization Is a Potential Target.

Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) groups are highly capable and well-resourced threat actors that conduct long-term, targeted cyber campaigns against specific organizations. They often invest significant time in reconnaissance, maintain persistence within compromised environments, and adapt their techniques to evade detection.

Estimated losses involving APT campaigns: tens to hundreds of billions of U.S. dollars annually.