As described earlier in a previous post, these are essentially proxy groups with state backing. They create a group that allows for plausible deniability, showing no attributable activity.
A security firm is warning that a group of Russian hackers known for targeting military, government and media organizations is now preparing to attack banks in the U.S. and elsewhere.
The group’s preparations, which have included writing new malware, registering domain names similar to those of intended targets, and setting up command-and-control servers, were discovered by analysts from security firm Root9B.
Global Geopolitics 