We’ve all witnessed impressive advancements in technology over the years, including the incorporation of AI and a shift in emphasis toward data protection and privacy. However, the regularity of cyberattacks has proven to be a significant obstacle to international cybersecurity initiatives.
There have been several significant cyberattacks throughout history that have quickly affected governments, multibillion dollar companies, and ordinary citizens.
In today’s blog, we’ll talk about some of the most heinous and purposeful attempts that have targeted users, breached private networks, and seriously harmed an organization’s reputation and financial standing.
The Most Famous Cyberattacks Ever
Cyberattacks can take many different forms, including SQL injection, Phishing, Denial-of-Service (DoS) and Distributed DoS attacks, malware, and many more.
Attacks of this kind can target a variety of targets, including corporations, government bodies, educational institutions, and private citizens.
There have been many noteworthy occurrences in the history of cyberattacks, ranging from sophisticated ransomware operations to large-scale data breaches, which have changed our perception of cybersecurity. Among them are:
1.The Melissa Virus 1999
The Melissa Virus was among the first hacks to draw attention to the significance of digital security.
Programmer David Lee Smith broke into an AOL account in 1999 and used it to send out an email attachment containing a file that provided access to many passwords for adult websites that required payment. On the other hand, when consumers downloaded the paper, a virus was installed on their machines.
- It seriously harmed a number of users and businesses, including Microsoft.
- While the infection was immediately contained by cybersecurity measures, its total eradication took some time.
- The attack was estimated to have had a total impact of about $80 million.
2.NASA Cyberattack (1999)
A cyber security breach at NASA in 1999 caused unapproved access and the temporary shutdown of the agency’s computer systems for about 21 days.
- Approximately 1.7 million pieces of software were downloaded during the attack.
- After the mishap, the space agency is expected to have to pay about $41,000 in repairs.
But what really set it apart was not just the financial cost but also the person who did it.
A fifteen-year-old computer hacker was sentenced to six months in prison after admitting guilt to the attack. The teenager’s sentencing included writing letters of apology to the secretary of defense and NASA executives.
3.Cyberattack in Estonia (2007)
The first country-wide cyberattack happened to Estonia in 2007. Approximately 58 Estonian websites, including those run by banks, media outlets, and government entities, were taken down during this incident.
- It was a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack that used zombie computers to increase the attack’s impact and overloaded Estonian servers.
- Several interpretations of this virtual event indicate that the attack originated from a political disagreement over the expulsion of a particular tribe from a city.
- The event is estimated to have cost around $1 million.
4.Payment Systems of the Heartland (2009)
Heartland Payment Systems revealed in the beginning of 2009 that over 130 million credit and debit card details as well as the details of over 650 financial service providers were compromised in 2008.
Visa responded to the incident by removing Heartland from its systems for a short while until the business could verify that it complied with PCI DSS requirements.
Heartland also introduced a new security standard for the card processing industry by encrypting its whole account information system.
5.The Google Attacks in China (2009)
Chinese humanitarian activists were the victim of many computer espionage operations in 2009. The hackers traced their messages and gained access to their Google accounts to start this. Account issues made the targeted users aware of the expanding issue.
- It was discovered after a more thorough investigation that the hackers had also been tracking individuals in several nations.
- The infection most likely happened as a result of malware and phishing working together.
This historical cyberattack incident undoubtedly demonstrates why it’s crucial to recognize and report any unusual activity with any online business.
6.The 2011 PlayStation Network Hack by Sony
This incident from 2011 is remembered by security experts and gamers as one of the biggest data breaches to date.
- It led to the network being taken down for almost a month and exposed the personal information of over 77 million accounts.
- Sony lost an estimated $171 million when they had to shut down the PlayStation Network for 23 days as a result of the attack.
Sony offered a complimentary month of their premium service to those impacted by the leak, despite never having learned about the hackers. They also created a new $1 million insurance policy to guard against identity theft for all users.
7.(2013) Target Security Vulnerability
In December 2013, Target suffered one of the biggest data breaches in history. Target’s computers were breached by cybercriminals, who took over 40 million credit and debit card details and 70 million customer records with them.
- It was discovered that a third-party vendor with remote access to Target’s network was the source of the attack.
- Target responded by turning off its point-of-sale systems on December 19 and 20, giving impacted customers free credit monitoring and theft protection services.
- In 2017, after four years, Target reached a settlement of $18.5 million with several states.
8.Adobe Cyberattack (2013)
Adobe revealed at the beginning of October 2013 that hackers had gained access to about 3 million encrypted consumer credit card records and the login credentials for an undisclosed quantity of user accounts.
- After a few days, Adobe discovered that 150 million encrypted usernames, hashed password pairs, and IDs belonging to active users were all part of the hack.
- Subsequent analysis revealed that the hack exposed debit/credit card numbers, customer names, and passwords.
- Adobe was forced to pay users $1.1 million in legal expenses and an undisclosed amount in August 2015 to resolve claims that it had engaged in unfair business practices and violated the Customer Records Act.
9.Yahoo! Cyberattack (2013–2014)
Two significant data breaches occurred at Yahoo in 2013 and 2014. All 3 billion Yahoo user accounts were affected by this incident, which is regarded as one of the largest cyberattacks in history. What is most worrisome, though, is that Yahoo didn’t reveal these breaches until 2016.
- A Russian hacker group was responsible for setting up the 2014 breach; they started the attack by sending a spear-phishing email to a Yahoo employee.
- The employee gave the hackers access to Yahoo’s network with just one click, giving them access to user names, email addresses, security questions and answers, phone numbers, and other private data.
10.Personal Data of Snapchat Users Was Exposured (2015)
In 2015, a major hack exposed the lack of anonymity that the messaging software provider, Snapchat, had claimed.
Many Snapchat users were upset by the hacker-disclosed usernames, phone numbers, and locations of 4.6 million accounts, especially those who uploaded private content on the service.
Hackers allegedly alerted Snapchat to the vulnerability in advance, but the business did nothing. Users did not experience any financial losses, but the company needed more than a year to recover from the incident’s consequences.
11.The 2015 Power Grid Attack in Ukraine
A cyberattack on Ukraine’s power infrastructure in December 2015 caused over 200,000 people to experience several hours without power.
It was discovered to have been started by the hacker collective SandWorm, which has ties to Russia. It involved the use of the BlackEnergy virus, KillDisk, and an attack framework called VPNFilter.
12.WannaCry Ransomware Attack 2017
In May 2017, WannaCry used the EternalBlue security flaw in the Microsoft Windows operating system to propagate quickly over networks. WannaCry encrypted the files on afflicted computers and demanded Bitcoin ransom payments to unlock the system.
- The $300 ransom was first demanded, but it grew over time.
- It was discovered that around 230,000 systems in 150 countries were affected by the malware.
- Notable companies like FedEx, Nissan, Honda, and the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom were among the victims.
Microsoft was unaware of this vulnerability at the time, and no patch had been made available for it.
13.Equifax Data Breach 2017
In the United States, Equifax, a credit reporting organization, disclosed a data breach affecting over 147 million customers, or more than 40% of the country’s total population.
- Names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, and over 200,000 credit card details were exposed during the incident, which happened between May and July 2017.
- It was discovered that the hack was caused by a weakness in Equifax’s web application firewall, which gave hackers access to the company’s networks and the potential to steal customers’ personal data.
As a result of its role in the data breach, Equifax was fined $575 million by the Federal Trade Commission, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and fifty states and territories.
14.Attack of the NotPetya Ransomware (2017)
In 2017, more than 12,500 machines were affected by the NotPetya malware. Targeting Microsoft Windows systems, it not only encrypted data for ransom but also entirely stopped computers from functioning.
- Significant international corporations, including top shipping lines FedEx and Maersk, the massive Russian oil and gas business Rosneft, and the British advertising firm WPP, also had their data deleted by NotPetya.
- Due to the attack, FedEx reported $300 million in losses, and one of its companies was forced to cease operations.
15.Marriott Hotels Cyberattack (2018)
In September 2018, Marriott International disclosed that a cyberattack on its systems had exposed private information of about 500,000 Starwood Preferred Guests, including names, email addresses, phone numbers, passport numbers, account details, DOB, gender, arrival and departure dates, and more.
In 2020, the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) fined the corporation £18.4 million for failing to protect client data sufficiently.
16. SingHealth Cyberattack in Singapore 2018
2018 saw the largest cyberattack in Singaporean history, compromising the private data of 1.5 million SingHealth patients.
- Names, residences, NIDs, and information regarding the diagnosis and prescriptions of the patients were revealed.
- Notably, the hack also resulted in the loss of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s personal information, garnering international notice and emphasizing the gravity of Singapore’s cyber dangers.
The Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) penalized the Integrated Health Information Systems (IHiS) $750,000 and SingHealth $250,000, respectively.
17.Attack of the Colonial Pipeline Ransomware (2021)
Colonial Pipeline was forced to suspend all of its activities throughout the East Coast in May 2021 in order to stop the spread of ransomware, putting the company in a dangerous predicament.
- It was discovered that the pipeline’s operational technology systems were infiltrated by the attack, which was carried out by the Russian hacker collective known as DarkSide.
- They sought a ransom of 75 BTC, or around $4.4 million at the time, in exchange for the decryption key after they encrypted the company’s files.
Colonial Pipeline first refused to pay the ransom, but after experiencing a protracted disruption to its business, it gave in and paid the money to restore access to its systems.
18.LinkedIn in 2021
A major data exposure incident involving 700 million LinkedIn users occurred in June 2021 after information about them appeared on a dark web forum. Over 90% of its user base was impacted.
Subsequently, they discovered that the data was uploaded by a hacker going by the handle God User, who took advantage of LinkedIn’s and other sites’ APIs through data scraping methods.
The hacker first made public a dataset that included information on about 500 million users. Subsequently, they declared that they were offering the 700 million user database for sale.
19.Leak of RockYou2021 Password
With an astounding 8.4 billion compromised passwords, it is the largest known database of stolen passwords to date.
The hacker, whose name is still unknown, called the password compilation RockYou2021, alluding to the 2009 RockYou data breach in which more than 32 million user passwords were exposed. He released information from earlier hacks as well as a 100GB text file with 8.4 billion password entries.
20.Cyberattack by Uber (2022)
Uber experienced a hack in September 2022 that exposed the personal data of over 77,000 workers, including complete names, email addresses, corporate reports, driver’s licenses, and IT asset information. Due to the extent of the leak, Uber’s systems almost completely stopped down.
- Uber has named the hacking collective Lapsus$ as the source of the attack.
- According to investigation reports, the breach started when hackers used a phishing email to get access to a worker’s device at Uber and then used those credentials to get into the company’s internal systems.
This concludes the blog post; they were some of the most significant cyberattacks ever recorded.
After taking what we’ve learned from it, it’s imperative that we create stronger defenses against potential threats in the always changing internet era.