Cyber attacks have been on the rise over the past several years and they aren’t showing any signs of slowing down. Whether you work in information technology, are an average Internet user, or just like following current events, it’s important to be aware of the cyber attacks that have taken place around the world to prevent falling victim to them yourself. Here are of the biggest cyber attacks that have taken place so far and keep reading for advice on how to protect yourself from hackers in the future.
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United States Office of Personnel Management
These are some of the most well-known attacks on government agencies. In June 2015, hackers breached a U.S. Office of Personnel Management database and accessed personal information such as Social Security numbers, addresses, employment history and fingerprints of over 22 million Americans who had applied for security clearances. The US OPM was hacked again in March 2016 with an attack lasting four months before being discovered. The hackers gained access to sensitive data including intelligence, military and diplomatic personnel records from 1984 to 2013 that could jeopardize national security for decades to come. Hackers also broke into a State Department email server, compromising about 1,250 accounts. In total, these three cyber attacks compromised over 38 million private records which is about 7% of all Americans with private information exposed to cyber criminals .
Russian Hacking Groups
In the summer of 2016, Russian hacking groups breached over 500 million Yahoo accounts. This was done by stealing data from Yahoo’s network and then using it to access user’s private information. The group were able to gain access to personal information like names, email addresses, telephone numbers, security questions and answers, dates of birth, passwords etc. It is thought that this attack was carried out as a result of an intelligence operation undertaken by Russia on behalf of its government.
WannaCry Ransomware
In May 2017, WannaCry ransomware infected more than 230,000 computers across 99 countries. It encrypts files on a computer and demands a ransom payment before providing a key to decrypt them. The attack was made possible by EternalBlue, an exploit of Microsoft Windows first discovered and used by the U.S National Security Agency (NSA). EternalBlue was part of a batch of hacking tools stolen from the NSA by an unknown hacker or hackers known under the name Shadow Brokers and leaked online in April 2017.
NotPetya/ExPetr
On June 27, 2017 a computer virus known as NotPetya (also known as ExPetr) infected computers in Ukraine and Russia. The virus is believed to be responsible for data loss at banks, energy companies, and telecommunications firms. This attack was larger than any other cyber attack before it and caused $300 billion worth of damages globally.
Iranian Hackers
In 2010, Iranian hackers were able to bring down a Saudi oil company by hacking into their security system. The attack was done using a form of malware that would cause all of the data on computers to get erased and would also send out messages to a large number of people telling them about what had just happened. This all led up to an attack that resulted in shutting down 30,000 computers and taking down multiple websites.
Anonymous
It is no secret that hackers are becoming increasingly sophisticated. In 2016, we saw a number of high-profile hacks and cyber attacks that made headlines around the world. From Yahoo to Democratic National Committee, here are some of the most significant events of last year. In September, Yahoo disclosed a two-year old data breach that affected 500 million user accounts.
Syria
1. April 6, 2018: Syrian Electronic Army (SEA) hacked into a BBC Twitter account and falsely reported that there was a bomb at the White House.
2. March 20, 2017: WannaCry ransomware infiltrated over 300,000 computers in 150 countries around the world.
3. August 18, 2016: The Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) email accounts were hacked by Russian government agencies in an effort to influence the US election outcome.
WikiLeaks
In November 2010, WikiLeaks released a series of classified documents that detailed American and British surveillance operations. On November 29, 2010, Julian Assange was arrested in London by officers from Scotland Yard on behalf of Swedish authorities who sought his extradition to question him about allegations of sexual assault and rape. He was released on bail and put under house arrest for 550 days while awaiting trial. In May 2012, he was allowed to leave his address to seek hospital treatment.