Daniel is a professional hacker whose aim is to attack a system to steal data and money for profit. He performs hacking to obtain confidential data…

Organized hackers, also known as cybercriminals, are threat actors motivated primarily by financial gain. They operate with a level of coordination, often in groups, to steal sensitive information like PII and financial data. This data is then monetized, typically by selling it on black markets or using it for fraud. Daniel's actions—hacking for profit, stealing specific data types, and selling them on the black market—align perfectly with the profile of an organized hacker or cybercriminal group member.

A. Industrial spies: Their primary motive is to steal trade secrets or intellectual property for a competing corporation's advantage, not for direct personal financial profit on a black market.
B. State-sponsored hackers: They work for a government, and their objectives are typically espionage, sabotage, or influencing geopolitical events, rather than personal monetary gain.
C. Insider threat: This refers to an individual with authorized access to a system (like an employee) who misuses that access. The scenario does not indicate Daniel is an insider.

1. European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA). (2023). ENISA Threat Landscape 2023. Section 3.1, "Threat Actors," pp. 21-22. This report categorizes threat actors and describes cybercrime actors as financially motivated groups involved in data theft and fraud.

2. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). (2018). Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity, Version 1.1. Section 2.2, "Types of Threat Actors." While not a direct list, the framework's context implies different actors (nations, criminal groups) have different motivations.

3. Shackelford, S. J. (2009). From the E-gold rush to the bitcoin bubble: a history of the law and economics of virtual worlds. Courseware, Indiana University Bloomington. Discusses the rise of organized cybercrime motivated by financial profit.