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Software Engineering vocabulary · APIs, Networking and Security

Threat actor

Meaning in software engineering, with examples

nounCommon term

In software engineering, threat actor means: A person or group responsible for a cyberattack or threat, such as a criminal gang, a state-backed group, a hacktivist or a malicious insider.

In Turkish: tehdit aktörü, saldırgan

How it is used

The neutral, professional word used in reports instead of 'hacker'. Threat intelligence firms track groups and give them names; well-resourced, long-term groups are called APTs (advanced persistent threats). Reports describe a threat actor's motives, tools and techniques.

Example sentences

  1. The threat actor behind the campaign appears to be financially motivated.

  2. We have no evidence linking this incident to a known threat actor.

Common collocations

  • financially motivated
  • state-sponsored group
  • APT group
  • attribute an attack
  • threatAnything that could cause harm to a system or to data, such as an attacker, a piece of malware, a careless employee or even a flood in the server room.
  • threat intelligenceCollected and analysed information about attackers, their methods and their tools that helps an organisation prepare for and detect attacks.
  • ransomwareMalware that encrypts a victim's files or systems and demands a payment, usually in cryptocurrency, in exchange for the key to unlock them.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: APIs, Networking and Security

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