Who attacks, and why

It helps to know who you're actually defending against, because it shapes what "good enough" security looks like.

Financially motivated criminals

The large majority of attacks against ordinary businesses and individuals. They're running a numbers game: mass phishing campaigns, ransomware, and credential theft, aimed at whoever clicks first, not a specific target. Basic hygiene (updates, MFA, backups) defeats most of this category.

Opportunists

Attackers who didn't target you specifically but found an easy way in, an exposed server, a reused password from a previous data breach, an unlocked laptop. You don't need to be "interesting" to be a victim.

Targeted attackers

Motivated by a specific goal: a competitor, a disgruntled insider, a nation-state interested in a particular organisation. Rarer for most people, but far more persistent and harder to stop once someone is specifically targeting you.

Most of this course focuses on defending against the first two categories, since that's where the overwhelming majority of real-world incidents come from.