Once considered futuristic science fiction, today’s biggest IT security threats are very much a reality. “Today, hacking is all crime, all the time, complete with bidding markets for malware, crime syndicates, botnets for hire, and cyber warfare gone amok,” a recent article says.

The following are the nine biggest threats security professionals are facing today, according to the article.

1. Cyber crime syndicates

2. Small-time cons (and the money mules and launders supporting them)

3. Hacktivists

4. Intellectual property theft and corporate espionage

5. Malware mercenaries

6. Botnets as a service

7. All-in-one malware

8. The increasingly compromised Web

9. Cyber warfare

As these dangers to cyber security grow, so will the need for professionals to fight them.