揮之不去的黑客威脅對(duì)企業(yè)來(lái)說(shuō)是個(gè)禍害,，但對(duì)網(wǎng)絡(luò)安全公司來(lái)說(shuō)則是個(gè)“福音”?？偛吭O(shè)在波士頓的威脅情報(bào)服務(wù)商Recorded Future就是一個(gè)鮮活的例子,，它剛剛完成E輪融資，從Insight Venture Partners獲得2500萬(wàn)美元業(yè)務(wù)擴(kuò)展資金,。

Recorded Future從事監(jiān)視所謂“暗網(wǎng)”的小眾業(yè)務(wù),。犯罪分子在這個(gè)網(wǎng)絡(luò)中碰頭，目的是策劃網(wǎng)絡(luò)攻擊并將盜取的個(gè)人和公司信息賣(mài)出去,。

據(jù)首席執(zhí)行官克里斯托弗·阿爾伯格介紹,，Recorded Future目前的客戶來(lái)自22個(gè)不同的垂直領(lǐng)域。以前該公司的服務(wù)對(duì)象只有政府和金融行業(yè)客戶,，現(xiàn)在從小型零售商到航空公司,，各行各業(yè)都開(kāi)始購(gòu)買(mǎi)暗網(wǎng)情報(bào),。

Recorded Future發(fā)現(xiàn)威脅的途徑之一是雇傭“間諜”并將其安插在與犯罪有關(guān)的網(wǎng)絡(luò)聊天室中，包括那些俄羅斯黑客常去的聊天室,，進(jìn)而探聽(tīng)他們的攻擊目標(biāo),。作為Flashpoint和Digital Shadows等同行的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手，Recorded Future還借助人工智能技術(shù)來(lái)進(jìn)行監(jiān)視,。

阿爾伯格說(shuō)，《財(cái)富》2000強(qiáng)中排名靠后的小公司對(duì)Recorded Future的需求不斷增長(zhǎng),，來(lái)自現(xiàn)有客戶的需求也是如此,，他們正在把威脅情報(bào)工具整合到自身業(yè)務(wù)的各個(gè)部門(mén)中。他還透露,，Recorded Future正在和Splunk等數(shù)據(jù)和分析領(lǐng)域巨頭展開(kāi)合作,。

阿爾伯格沒(méi)有提供具體財(cái)務(wù)信息，但表示Recorded Future的收入為“中等八位數(shù)”,，年增長(zhǎng)率一直保持在100%,。他還說(shuō)，該公司即將出現(xiàn)正現(xiàn)金流,。

同時(shí),，黑客的威脅不大可能很快消退。

阿爾伯格指出,，盜取自美國(guó)國(guó)家安全局等政府情報(bào)部門(mén)的強(qiáng)大黑客工具在一定程度上成了最近一些威脅因素的推手,，包括剛剛出現(xiàn)的壞兔子（Bad Rabbit）勒索病毒。現(xiàn)在朝鮮等“流氓國(guó)家”以及普通犯罪團(tuán)伙都在使用這些工具,。

他還警告說(shuō),，網(wǎng)絡(luò)攻擊在國(guó)際關(guān)系中正變得越發(fā)普遍，原因是政府借網(wǎng)絡(luò)攻擊來(lái)實(shí)現(xiàn)外交目的,。

阿爾伯格說(shuō)：“網(wǎng)絡(luò)和政治以及戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)的結(jié)合正在成為現(xiàn)實(shí),。如果你相信克勞塞維茨（普魯士將軍，曾說(shuō)‘戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)是政治以其他形式的延續(xù)’）,，那么2016年的美國(guó)總統(tǒng)大選就只是個(gè)開(kāi)始,。我們的俄羅斯朋友已經(jīng)就此演練了一段時(shí)間了?！保ㄘ?cái)富中文網(wǎng)）

譯者：Charlie

The ongoing threat of hackers is a menace to companies, but is a boon for cybersecurity companies. A case in point is Recorded Future, a threat intelligence service based in Boston, which just raised $25 million in a Series E fundraising round from Insight Venture Partners to expand its operations.

The firm has a niche in monitoring the so-called “dark web,” where crooks meet to plot cyber attacks and to sell the information they rip off from consumers and companies.

According to CEO Christopher Ahlberg, Recorded Future now has clients in 22 different industry verticals. Whereas it once served only government and the financial sector customers, everyone from smaller retailers to the airline industry is now signing up for dark web intelligence.

One way Recorded Future discovers threats is by hiring moles who hang out in criminal chatrooms, including those popular with Russian hackers, and learning about their targets. The firm, which competes with the likes of Flashpoint and Digital Shadows, also relies on artificial intelligence technology to carry out the monitoring.

According to Ahlberg, Recorded Future is facing growing demand from smaller firms further down the Fortune 2000 list, and from existing clients who are now incorporating threat intelligence tools into different parts of their operations. He added the firm is also partnering with tech giants like Splunk that specialize in data and analytics.

Ahlberg did not provide precise financial information, but said Recorded Future’s revenues are “in the mid-eight figures” and that it has enjoyed 100% year-over-year growth. He added the company is close to being cash-flow positive.

Meanwhile, the threat of hackers is unlikely to recede anytime soon.

Ahlberg said the latest wave of threats, including the current wave of ransomware attacks known as Bad Rabbit, is partly driven by the theft of powerful hacking tools from government spy agencies like the NSA. These tools are now being deployed both by rogue nation states like North Korea and by common criminal gangs.

Ahlberg also warned that cyber attacks are becoming more common in international relations as countries use them to further foreign policy goals.

“The mix of cyber with politics and warfare is coming true,”Ahlberg said. “If you believe Clausewitz (the Prussian general who said ‘War is continuation of politics by other means’) then the U.S. 2016 election was just the beginning. This is something our Russian friends have been practicing for a while.”