As everyone knows, hackers are one of the greatest concerns in the world, considering that they have the abilities to get into the system of every people, every institution, every company, and even every government. Giving their skills and potential damage, some hackers groups are state-sponsored by governments who uses them as their digital muscle, in order to make some illegal operations that only they could do. Here the most dangerous teams of this kind.
The Ajax Security Team (Iran)
This is a dangerous group of hackers that are believed to work with the Iranian government, giving the fact that there have been some operations in which they have outing many political dissidents and carried missions that satisfy the ruling coalition´s interests. Of course, Ajax has always denied any kind of involvement.
This group started out 6 years ago, and the firm FireEye believes that Ajax could have been the group behind the "Operation Saffron Rose", which was a series of constant phishing attacks and attempts to deceive Microsoft Outlook web access and VPN pages, with the goal of gaining data and credentials within the U.S. defense industry.
Ajax is the best exemplification of cyber criminals who do some important operations in order to gain the attention of any government through its activities and get secretly hired to become the digital muscle of it. Apparently, this group is led by Ali Ali Pur (aka Cair3x), and carry out a little part of its operations in the framework of a powerful security company in Iran.
The Most Famous State-Sponsored Hacker Group: Bureau 121 (North Korea)
This is the hackers group known for the attacks on Sony Pictures because of the film The Interview, in which actors James Franco and Seth Rogen killed North Korea´s leader Kim Jong-un. It is a very dangerous state-sponsored hackers team that allegedly belong to the General Bureau of Reconnaissance, which is the country´s military spy agency.
Apparently Bureau 121 develops and execute effective cyber strikes on behalf of the Pyongyang government against South Korean. In fact, a major attack on more than 25,000 PCs inside several broadcasting companies and South Korean banks were attributed to the hackers team. This operation was made in 2013 and was one of the first times this group was showed on the media.
One of the most particular details about this state-sponsored hackers is that the group apparently has 1,800 members who are treated almost as a minister in North Korea, to the point in which each of them is provided incentive as rich salaries and the chance of bringing their families with then in Pyongyang.
The Most Dangerous State-Sponsored Hacker Grouo: Axiom (China)
This is one of the most dangerous groups that exists today, thanks to the member's ability to develop the most effective cyber strikes to any target. Axiom´s main specialty is corporate espionage and the targeting of any political dissidents, which clearly shows its skills, giving the fact that these kind of operations are some of the most delicates for hackers.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Axiom uses advanced techniques that range from generic malware attacks to well-crafted hacking exploits that could take years to manifest. Apparently, the group tends to target private companies that are extremely important in the Chinese economic sphere, but also other objectives that are adverse to the government´s interests, as many western governments, political dissidents inside and outside China, and any pro-Democracy institution.
The FBI report explained that Axiom could be a subgroup of a larger unnamed hacker group within the Chinese intelligence agencies. Although it hasn't been revealed in which part of mainland China Axiom works, it has been revealed that the hackers operate within an area of responsibility that has been attributed the intelligence agencies.
