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CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 · Domain 2: Threats, vulnerabilities & mitigations

Motivations: espionage, financial, disruption, ideology

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Last reviewed September 25, 2026 · Leer en español

Understanding why an attacker acts helps you predict what they will target and how they will behave once inside. A financially motivated criminal wants a fast payout and will move quickly; a spy wants to stay hidden for as long as possible. Security+ lists a range of motivations and expects you to infer the most likely one from a scenario. In real work, motivation shapes threat models, helps prioritize defenses, and helps incident responders guess what an attacker will do next. A company that makes consumer software might worry most about financially motivated attackers, while a defense supplier must plan for espionage, and a utility must plan for disruption and even war.

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