Technology plays a vital role in our daily lives, offering remarkable benefits and conveniences. However, it also carries significant risks, particularly concerning the security of our personal information. Data breaches are like digital break-ins where hackers steal sensitive information from companies and individuals. This year, a few major breaches have caught everyone’s attention.
Let’s dive into the topic and find the most devastating data breaches that affected millions of individuals.
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National Public Data
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Ticketmaster
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Change Healthcare
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Dell
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AT&T
A massive number of people have been affected. But before we dive in, let’s first explain what a data breach means.
What is a Data Breach?
A data breach is an event where information is accessed without proper authorization, compromising security. Though the definition appears straightforward, the repercussions for both companies and individuals can be extensive and significant.
Concerns about data security have reached new heights and with good reason.
A significant 60% of customers feel their personal data is at risk of a security breach, reflecting widespread concern over data protection.
A data breach is more than just an IT issue—it’s a genuine threat to both businesses and individuals. These breaches can damage company reputations and significantly impact personal lives. As we increasingly interact online—shopping, gaming, or socializing on platforms—we often leave behind digital footprints. This means personal data such as email addresses, names, dates of birth, and photos are routinely shared across various sites.
30% of companies have over 1,000 sensitive folders that are openly accessible, making them prime targets for cybercriminals.
Although users tend to share personal data without much thought, awareness of the risks is growing, leading to a heightened sense of paranoia. Many feel they are constantly being tracked or listened to, adding to their sense of vulnerability.
In 2024, major data breaches have made these fears more real, showing how vulnerable we are online. These events are a strong reminder for everyone, both individuals and companies, to improve their security measures to keep private information safe.
Top 5 2024 Data Breaches
National Public Data
In April 2024, a cybercriminal group called USDoD allegedly stole and began selling 2.9 billion records from NPD on the dark web for $3.5 million. The records included names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and Social Security numbers for people.
How It Happened
An investigation by KrebsOnSecurity revealed that a sister website to NPD named RecordsCheck.net hosted an archive file titled “Members.zip,” which contained credentials for the website’s administrator stored in plaintext, as well as source code for the website. Since the login pages for NPD and RecordsCheck.net are nearly identical, many believe that the similarities between the websites (including default administrator passwords) allowed attackers into NPD systems. There is one more jaw-dropping detail – the Members.zip archive was hosted on a publicly accessible part of the RecordsCheck.net website and was available as late as August 19, 2024.
Affected users
2.7 billion records
Conclusion
In the series of major data breaches, we see again and again that strong IT security starts with the basics. For example, the Members.zip file with admin credentials wouldn’t have been a problem if NPD and RecordsCheck.net had used strong, unique passwords and avoided default ones. The details available about this breach indicate a catastrophic failure or absence of controls and situational awareness.
Source: CNET
Ticketmaster
The 2024 Ticketmaster data breach exposed millions of customers’ personal and financial data, including names, emails, phone numbers, and payment details. Cybercriminals accessed the database in April and May, revealing security weaknesses and raising consumer concerns. The breach led to unauthorized transactions and identity theft for some customers. Additionally, this incident contributed to the U.S. Justice Department suing Ticketmaster’s parent company, Live Nation, for anti-competitive practices.
How It Happened
Ticketmaster informed their customers that they “discovered unauthorized activity on an isolated cloud database hosted by a third-party data services provider.” However, upon further investigation, it was reported that hackers “used compromised Ticketmaster credentials that did not have multi-factor authentication enabled to steal the data from their Snowflake account.”
This unmitigated access resulted in the theft of millions of customers’ Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and payment card information (PCI), including customer names, emails, phone numbers, and encrypted credit card numbers.
Affected users
560 million records
Conclusion
Staying informed about these events can help protect your information. It is important to know the company’s credibility and how to protect yourself. Remembering the best online security practices can help reduce liability and protect your digital identity. You are your first line of defense against these data breaches.
Source: Washington Times
Change Healthcare
In February 2024, Change Healthcare suffered a major data breach from a ransomware attack, exposing millions of sensitive data, like names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and medical records. This became one of the largest healthcare breaches ever, affecting patients, providers, and insurers, prompting a re-evaluation of security strategies across the healthcare sector.
How It Happened
BlackCat/ALPHV claimed responsibility for this attack and demanded money to return services online. This type of cyberthreat is known as a ransomware attack, a type of malware that encrypts data on the victim’s systems, making it inaccessible until a ransom is paid. The impact of the Change Healthcare cyberattack has been devastating for the healthcare industry and hundreds of millions of people who rely on services powered by victimized providers.
Affected users
145 million records
Conclusion
The healthcare industry is particularly vulnerable to cyberattacks because personal patient information is valuable, and health organizations often lack strong cybersecurity measures. Organizations can learn valuable lessons from such incidents and implement prevention tips and best practices to enhance their cybersecurity posture.
Source: TechTarget
Dell
In May 2024, Dell’s systems were breached via a brute force attack by a hacker named Menelik, who accessed a reseller’s client portal. This exposed sensitive data like names, emails, payment details, and account information. The breach raised concerns about Dell’s cybersecurity, leading to a public apology and promises to enhance security measures. It also attracted increased regulatory scrutiny and potential legal issues.
How It Happened
Menelik, the threat actor behind the attack, openly revealed to TechCrunch that he extracted large amounts of data by setting up partner accounts within Dell’s company portal. After partner accounts were authorized, the hacker launched brute-force attacks, sending over 5,000 requests per minute to the page continuously for nearly three weeks. Astonishingly, Dell remained oblivious to these activities. Following the barrage of nearly 50 million requests and successful data scraping, Menelik proceeded to alert Dell by sending multiple emails about the security vulnerability.
Affected users
49 million records
Conclusion
Breach reports are constant, proving that even top companies can be hacked. All companies and their customers are at risk. Securing data both at rest and in transit with point-to-point encryption (P2PE) and tokenization can protect sensitive information, safeguarding your brand and customers.
Source: bluefin
AT&T
On July 12, 2024, AT&T disclosed a massive data breach affecting “nearly all” AT&T wireless customers (including customers of third-party mobile virtual network operators (MVNO) such as Cricket, Straight Talk, and Consumer Cellular). The breach occurred between May 1 and October 31, 2022, with a smaller breach on January 2, 2023.
How It Happened
it is notable that this breach – even though it is “AT&T’s” breach – did not happen on any AT&T systems but on a “third-party cloud platform” identified in the media as Snowflake. Snowflake has also been in the news recently as the result of a cyberattack that impacted upwards of 160 of its customers, including LendingTree, Advance Auto Parts, LiveNation, and Santander Bank.
Affected users
73 million records
Conclusion
To protect their data well, businesses should make it a priority to use advanced security measures like multi-factor authentication and regular system tracking. Also, making sure that employees are always learning how to protect data is very important for reducing risks.
Source: safeaeon