In 2024, several significant cyber breaches underscored the persistent and evolving nature of cyber threats. Notable incidents include:
1. Chinese Espionage on U.S. Telecommunications
The Chinese hacking group “Salt Typhoon” infiltrated major U.S. telecommunications providers, including Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. This breach enabled them to geolocate millions of Americans and record phone calls, affecting high-profile individuals such as President-elect Donald Trump and senior government officials.
2. Snowflake Data Breach
Hackers exploited stolen credentials to access data from over 100 Snowflake customers, impacting companies like Ticketmaster, Santander Bank, and AT&T. The breach led to the exposure of billions of call records and other sensitive information.
3. Change Healthcare Ransomware Attack
In February, Change Healthcare, a major medical billing and insurance processing company, suffered a ransomware attack by the ALPHV/BlackCat group. The incident affected over 100 million individuals, exposing personal and health records, and resulted in a $22 million ransom payment.
4. National Public Data Breach
A breach at National Public Data compromised the personal information of approximately 1.3 million individuals. The stolen data included names, Social Security numbers, and other sensitive details, leading to significant privacy concerns.
5. North Korean Cryptocurrency Thefts
North Korean hackers intensified their cyber activities, stealing approximately $1.34 billion in cryptocurrency to fund weapons programs. This marked a significant increase from the previous year, highlighting the growing threat of state-sponsored cybercrime.
These incidents highlight the critical need for robust cybersecurity measures across all sectors to protect sensitive information and maintain public trust. In our final episode this season we covered Incident Response and Disaster Recovery. If you have a robust IR/DR program in place, you’ll be better protected from cyber breaches such as these! Listen to that episode for some great advice on how to best protect your company from the worst-case scenario!!