Archipelago

Archipelago, a threat actor group known for its cybercriminal activities, has been identified as a significant security concern by Google's Threat Analysis Group and security firm CrowdStrike. The group, also referred to as "The Com," is made up of various hacker cliques scattered across an array of Telegram and Discord servers dedicated to financially-motivated cybercrime. These crime-focused chat communities function as a distributed cybercriminal social network, facilitating instant collaboration among its members. In one notable incident in early February, maritime vessels associated with this group disabled the two undersea cables connecting Taiwan’s Matsu Islands to the internet, displaying their capability for real-world disruption. The geopolitical context surrounding Archipelago is complex due to the diverse claims over various island territories. The People's Republic of China (PRC) considers the Spratly archipelago an essential part of China, despite the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling in 2016 that there was no legal basis for China's maritime claims. This decision is also disputed by the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei. The Vanuatu archipelago, another area of interest, consists of 83 small islands and is strategically located east of New Guinea, southeast of the Solomon Islands, and west of Fiji. The potential for conflict escalation in these regions is high, given the strategic importance of these archipelagos. Indonesia, another sprawling archipelago, has prioritized fortifying its sea defenses as it acknowledges that any attack will not come overland. Guam, home to over 150,000 U.S. citizens, is the westernmost U.S. soil in the Indo-Pacific and has historical significance as the only U.S. soil to have been captured and occupied by an invading force during World War II. The presence and activities of the Archipelago threat actor group in these areas pose significant cybersecurity and geopolitical risks.