With 2019 in the rearview mirror, we thought it would be a good time to reflect on some of the biggest IT breaches of the year, and see what we can learn from them.
WIth cyberthreats constantly growing, there is no shortage of significant attacks to choose from. The key to this article is finding breaches that also offer insight into ways we can all improve our own security.
Here are some of the biggest IT breaches of 2019.
Capital One Hack
Possibly the breach that caught the most media attention, the Capital One data breach led to over 100 million records of people who have applied for credit cards since 2005 being hacked. The information that was exposed included: names, addresses, email addresses, and in some cases, bank and social security numbers.
What can we learn from this case? Well, the mastermind of the attack, Paige Thompson, “created a program in late March to scan cloud customers for a specific web application firewall misconfiguration,” according to Wired. The micro lesson here is to ensure your company’s firewall is properly configured. The macro lesson is that if you have any vulnerabilities in your system, cybercriminals will find them, and expose them.
Dream Market Breach
The Dream Market is an online darknet market that was founded in 2013. In 2019, 617 million account details were hacked, and found out for sale on the market.
Dubsmash, a video messaging app for iOS and Android, was the largest victim of these hacks, with over 160 million account databases exposed and for sale. Fifteen other companies of varying sizes had account information exposed and offered for sale.
The lesson that can be learned here is that all companies, regardless of size and scope, are targets. In fact, 43% of cyber attacks are targeted at small businesses, and these attacks can be very difficult for these companies to survive.
WhatsApp Hack
The WhatsApp hacking was a somewhat unique, and thoroughly disturbing attack. Hackers installed technology that was being used to spy on users who answered phone calls on the app.
According to Business Insider, “the spyware was designed by Israel’s NSO group, and WhatsApp said in a statement that the hack bore the hallmarks of a private organization accustomed to working with government agencies. The Israeli firm denied any involvement.”
The lesson here is that your cybersecurity is threatened in more ways than you may realize. Use websites, apps, and services that you trust, and never download anything from unfamiliar sites.
2019 is full of proof that cyberthreats are constantly changing. The breaches discussed in this article, while some of the most infamous, are also just the tip of the iceberg. Practice safe online habits, and ensure you have professionals handling your IT services.
Categorised in: hacking, malware, Network Issues