Structured threats are more focused by one or more individuals with higher-level skills actively working to compromise a system. The targeted system could have been detected through some random search process, or it might have been selected specifically. The attackers are typically knowledgeable about network designs, security, access procedures, and hacking tools, and they have the ability to create scripts or applications to further their objectives.
Structured attacks are more likely to be motivated by something other than curiosity or showing off to one’s peers. Greed, politics, racism (or any intolerance), or law enforcement (ironic) could all be motives behind the efforts. Crimes of all types where the payoff isn’t directly tied to the attack, such as identity theft or credit card information theft, are also motivations.
International terrorism and government-sponsored attacks on another country’s computer infrastructure are becoming well documented. Systems of interest might include utilities, public safety, transportation systems, financial systems, or defense systems, which are all managed by large data systems, each with vulnerabilities.
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