新湖畔网 （随信APP) | 微软警告：俄罗斯和中国加大网络犯罪招募力度

黑客数量在全球范围内不断增加。 — © 法新社/法新社图片 诺埃尔·塞利斯

微软在周二发布的威胁报告中表示，俄罗斯、中国和朝鲜在招募网络犯罪分子方面变得更加侵略和复杂，以窃取资金、获取情报和影响选举。

微软数字防御报告的客户安全副总裁汤姆·伯特写道，此类黑客不仅仅是在窃取数据。

他写道：“他们正在发动勒索软件攻击，预留后门以备将来摧毁，破坏操作，进行影响攻势。”

“国家支持的网络攻击的步伐已经上升到一个程度，以至于实际上在网络空间中已经实现了持续的战斗，而攻击者没有任何实质性的后果。”

报告指出，过去一年的观察证实了政府和网络犯罪分子的“融合”，报告引用了中国、俄罗斯、伊朗和朝鲜的活动。

据报告称，各国将有经济动机的网络犯罪分子作为“一个力量倍增器”，利用他们的黑客专业知识。

报告称：“我们还看到了混合战争战术的迅速转变，广泛试图干扰民主选举，以及全球范围内勒索软件攻击和网络金融欺诈的激增。”

微软表示，俄罗斯、伊朗和中国都参与了选举影响活动，加大了改变看法、制造混乱和破坏对公共机构的信任的努力。

微软表示：“生成式人工智能工具的广泛可获取性，加上重大的地缘政治事件，为国家支持的具有高风险竞赛的影响操作创造了一个成熟的环境。”

报告称，朝鲜长期以来一直在“模糊”网络犯罪与网络间谍活动之间的界限，据报告显示，联合国估计该国自2017年以来已窃取超过30亿美元的加密货币。

The number of hacks has been increasing worldwide. — © AFP/File Noel Celis

Russia, China, and North Korea are becoming more aggressive and sophisticated in their recruitment of cybercriminals to steal money, gain intelligence, and sway elections, Microsoft said in a threat report released Tuesday.

Such hackers are not just stealing data, corporate vice president of customer security Tom Burt wrote in the Microsoft Digital Defense Report.

They are “launching ransomware, prepositioning backdoors for future destruction, sabotaging operations, and conducting influence campaigns,” he wrote.

“The pace of nation-state sponsored cyberattacks has escalated to the point that there is now effectively constant combat in cyberspace without any meaningful consequences to the attacker.”

Observations during the past year affirm a “convergence” of governments and cybercriminals, according to the report, which cited activity by China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.

Nations use financially-motivated cybercriminals as “a force multiplier,” piggybacking on their hacking expertise, according to the report.

“We have also seen rapid shifts in the tactics of hybrid war, wide-ranging attempts to interfere in democratic elections, and a surge in ransomware attacks and cyber-enabled financial fraud across the globe,” the report said.

Russia, Iran, and China have all engaged in election influence efforts, ramping up efforts to sway perceptions, sow discord, and erode trust in public institutions, according to Microsoft.

“The widespread accessibility of generative AI tools coupled with significant geopolitical events has created a ripe environment for nation-state influence operations aimed at high-stakes contests,” Microsoft said.

North Korea has long “blurred the line” between cybercrime and cyber espionage, with the United Nations estimating the nation has stolen more than $3 billion in cryptocurrency since 2017, according to the report.