One million dollars is what some states pay _per target_.
Every major black hat group operates with the blessing of some state. It’s about more than just money. Actual exploits are probably traded for “favours” (e.g. votes in international bodies, collaboration on thorny dossiers, extraditions, etc.). The infiltration of electronic communication is a major aspect in determining a state’s level of “soft power” and - in a software-run world - its weight only increases.
>Every major black hat group operates with the blessing of some state.
Citation needed. As far as I know that's true. Yes, some groups cooperate with the state (true in Russia after the escalation of the war in Ukraine, for example). But that's certainly not true for everyone - not every group has uses as an APT unit, most are just common criminals.
Every major black hat group operates with the blessing of some state. It’s about more than just money. Actual exploits are probably traded for “favours” (e.g. votes in international bodies, collaboration on thorny dossiers, extraditions, etc.). The infiltration of electronic communication is a major aspect in determining a state’s level of “soft power” and - in a software-run world - its weight only increases.