Google goes it alone with a new cybercrime crew taxonomy

Google's Threat Intelligence Group (CTIG), incorporating Mandiant, has published a new two-word taxonomy for naming cybercrime crews—using a memorable unique term plus a categorical second word—and assigned labels such as CASTLE (China), ION (Iran), NEPTUNE (North Korea), RELIC (Russia), and COMET (non-state actors); the article frames this move amid industry debates over inconsistent naming conventions and concerns about bias.