Cyber Spy Names: From “Fancy Bear” to “Bland Bureaucrat” – Why Experts Want a Change
Former US and UK cyber chiefs want to ditch the glamorized threat actor names like Fancy Bear and Scattered Spider. They argue that current naming conventions delay response times, confuse the public, and serve marketing more than cybersecurity. They advocate for a global, vendor-neutral taxonomy that avoids cartoonish villain names.
Hot Take:
It’s time we stopped treating cybercriminals like rockstars with catchy names and started calling them what they are: a global nuisance. Let’s ditch the glamor and get down to business with a universal naming system that even your grandma could understand.
Key Points:
- Current threat actor naming conventions lack practicality and hinder global response times.
- Names like Fancy Bear and Volt Typhoon mystify the public and glamorize cybercriminals.
- Microsoft and CrowdStrike are aligning their naming systems to streamline threat identification.
- A call for a vendor-neutral, universally accepted naming system to improve clarity and response.
- Martin and Easterly argue that standardization is possible, citing examples from other industries.
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