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The past decade has seen its fair share of data breaches. From Equifax to Target, these cyber attacks have caused billions of dollars in damages and affected the lives of countless people. In this blog post, we will take a look at some of the biggest data breaches in history and examine what went wrong. We will also discuss how you can protect yourself from data breaches and what to do if you suffer one. Stay safe out there!
Why do companies get hacked? And what data is stolen in these cyber attacks? There are many reasons why businesses fall victim to data breaches, but some of the most common ones include the following:
A data breach is the unauthorized access and acquisition of sensitive data.
Data breaches can have several negative consequences for businesses, including financial losses, loss of customer trust, and even lawsuits. But perhaps the most damaging consequence of all is the theft of confidential data. This data can include things like trade secrets, names, addresses, credit card details, social security numbers, geolocations, birthdates, and even more employee & customer information. As a result, businesses and their customers can suffer from a wide range of damages, such as identity theft, fraud, and even bankruptcy.
Data breaches affect millions of users. Here are some of the worst breaches in recent memory:
What Happened?: Steam is a video game digital distribution service and storefront. Within 2011, hackers leaked information of over 35 million customers. Steam forums were taken offline after finding out about this attack.
Data Stolen:
What Happened?: An unauthorized third party stole data in which over 3 billion Yahoo accounts were compromised.
Data Stolen:
What Happened?: During the transition into SaaS structure, a cyber attack allowed hackers into their network & accessed data from over 38 million Adobe users.
Data Stolen:
What Happened?: During the holiday season of 2013, cybercriminals accessed over 70 million customer records due to compromising a third-party vendor. Within those records, over 40 million credit & debit card numbers were also stolen. This resulted in Target paying an $18.5 million settlement.
Data Stolen:
What Happened?: Over 76 million households along with 7 million small businesses were impacted by the data breach, including users on the web & their mobile app.
Data Stolen:
What Happened?: Using a vendor's login information, hackers were able to deploy malware that helped skim card information. They gained access to over 56 million credit & debit card numbers from this breach.
Data Stolen:
What Happened?: Uber suffered a data breach that impacted 57 million customers. This included both riders and drivers, exposing their names, email addresses, phone numbers, and more. According to the report from Bloomberg, Uber paid $100,000 to “hackers” to get rid of the data so that it wouldn't come out.
Data Stolen:
What Happened? : The personal information of 147 million people was exposed in a data breach announced by Equifax, one of the three largest consumer credit reporting agencies. According to USA Today, the security breach occurred when Equifax officials failed to install a software update that could have prevented digital intruders from accessing sensitive information.
In response to a global settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and 50 U.S. states and territories, the company has agreed to pay up to $425 million.
Data Stolen:
What Happened? : The personal details of around 150 million MyFitnessPal app users were hacked, including their usernames, passwords (hashed), and email addresses. A year later, this data was found being sold on the dark web for approximately $20,000.
Data Stolen:
What Happened? : Marriott announced in November 2018 that hackers have had access to the reservation systems of several of its hotel chains for over four years. This breach has revealed the private information of up to 500 million customers. Furthermore, it demonstrates how delicate records with people's travel agendas can be.
Data Stolen:
What Happened? : Quora discovered that a malicious third party had gained unauthorized access to one of its systems. As a result, the personal data of approximately 100 million users had been exposed.
Data Stolen:
What Happened? : This cyber attack went undetected for approximately four months, in which a hacker accessed the personal information of approximately 106 million Capital One customers and applicants.
Data Stolen:
What Happened? : More than 10.6 million people's sensitive personal information was released on a hacking forum. This affected guests who had stayed at MGM Resorts earlier. The data breach was discovered in the summer of 2019 but became public on February 20, 2020, when ZDNet published an article about the matter.
Data Stolen:
What Happened? : In June 2020, Wattpad, a user-generated stories website, was hacked and as a result, about 270 million records were leaked. The data was initially offered for over $100,000 in private transactions before being released on a public hacking forum where it was widely distributed for free.
Data Stolen:
What Happened? : Over 530 million Facebook users were not notified about a data breach that took place before August 2019, when their personal information was accessed and made public. Hackers were able to access the data by exploiting a vulnerability in a feature on the site that allowed people to find each other using phone numbers. News of this breach broke out in April 2021.
Data Stolen:
What Happened? : A hacker going by the name TomLiner put the personal data of LinkedIn's nearly 700 million users up for sale on a darknet forum. This was approximately around 90% of LinkedIN's entire user base.
Data Stolen:
What Happened? : In August 2021, T-Mobile agreed to pay $350 million in damages as part of a class action lawsuit settlement. A hacker broke into its computer networks to steal sensitive information relating to millions of customers. It impacted around 76 million people, including former customers.
Data Stolen :
What Happened? : Robinhood, a popular online stock trading platform, was hacked in November 2021 and more than 5 million customers were impacted. The firm stated in a blog post that a malicious hacker had tricked a customer service representative over the phone to gain access.
Data Stolen:
What Happened? : After the Lapsus$ hacking and extortion group posted screenshots of Okta’s apps and systems, it was revealed that 366 corporate customers of Okta had their authentication information compromised.
Data Stolen:
What Happened? : After a former employee of the firm downloaded reports containing personal information of US users, up to 8 million users of the mobile payment app Cash App were affected by a data breach.
Data Stolen:
You can't be too careful these days. Just when you think you've got your data security on lock, another major breach makes headlines. From Okta to Wattpad, it seems like no one is safe. So what can you do to protect yourself?
For starters, don't panic. While it's important to stay up-to-date on the latest news, obsessing over every little detail isn't going to do you any good! Second, take a close look at your own security measures and make sure they're up to par, including by updating your systems regularly (stop clicking on the dismiss button when your macbook reminds you to update!). And finally, remember that even the most well-protected systems are vulnerable - so don't get too complacent.
While you can’t protect everything to a 100%, there is a way to mitigate some of the downside when the s&^%t hits the fan. Personal cyber insurance is one of these tools. It can help protect individuals, including your family, and businesses from financial losses due to cybercrime. It can cover a variety of expenses, including legal fees, data recovery, device replacement, cyber financial fraud, and more. Data breaches are becoming all too common, so it's important to take steps to protect yourself. Interested? Take a peek at our personal cyber insurance offering!
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