Blended threat  A blended threat (also known as a blended attack) is a software exploit that involves a combination of attacks against different vulnerabilities. Blended threats can be any software that exploits techniques to attack and propagate threats, for example worms, trojan horses, and computer viruses. Complex threats consist of two or more attacks, such as multiple attacks of the same kind. Examples of complex threats include a series of coordinated physical hostilities, such as the Paris terrorist attacks in 2015 or a combination of threats such as a cyberattack and a distinct physical attack, which may be coordinated. In more recent years , cyber attacks have demonstrated increased ability to impact physical systems, such as Stuxnet, Triton or Trisis malware, and have caused ransomware attacks such as WannaCry. By recognizing computer system threats occur from potential physical hazards, the term "blended threat" has also been defined as a natural, accidental, or purposeful physical or virtual danger that has the potential for crossover impacts or to harm life, information, operations, environment, and property. This is an adaptation based on terminology from the 2010 US Department of Homeland Security's Risk Lexicon. Illustrating how rapidly and dangerously this can play out in our world today, Sarah Coble (writing in Infosecurity Mag on 12 Jun reported, that the life of Jessica Hatch, a Houston business owner, was “threatened after cyber-criminals hacked into her company’s social media account and posted racist messages. The founder and CEO of Infinity Diagnostics Center said that her company’s Instagram account was compromised… by an unknown malicious hacker. After gaining access to the account, the threat actor uploaded multiple stories designed to paint Hatch and her business as racist.” In this post "Blended Threats: Protests! Hacking? Death Threats!?!", Gate 15 highlighted that risk management processes need to account for our complex and blended threat environment. According to The Guardian, in a worst-case scenario, crackers could potentially carry out "cyber-physical attacks by turning satellite antennas into weapons that can operate like microwave ovens." On September 10, 2019, the Cyber Threat Alliance (CTA) released a new joint analysis product titled "The Illicit Cryptocurrency Threat" that said illicit cryptocurrency mining had overtaken ransomware as the biggest cyber threat to businesses. The CTA said mining attacks had become one of the most common attacks their client's encounter. Blended threats may also compromise healthcare systems, many of which need an Internet connection to operate, as do numerous other medical devices such as pacemakers, making the latter part of the Internet of Things (IoT) a growing network of connected devices, which are potentially vulnerable to a cyber attack.