The previous year will mark one of the most destructive ones for global cybersecurity. Hackers targeted industries at all levels of the spectrum: healthcare, telecom, defense and even entertainment. In unprecedented sophistication, hackers exploited weaknesses in these places. These hacks not only showed sensitive data, but also showed the world what it needs: a stronger cybersecurity framework.
The Cyber Express brings to you the most outstanding hacks of 2024, the biggest global data breaches and lessons they taught us.
1. The Mother of All Breaches
The year opened with a seismic breach impacting both social media platforms and financial institutions. Dubbed the “Mother of All Breaches,” the attack exposed billions of personal records. The root cause? A firewall failure at Leak Lookup, a data leak search engine.
Lessons learned:
- Vet third-party systems: Organizations must rigorously evaluate and monitor third-party vendors’ security practices.
- Improve network segmentation: Secure sensitive information, which in turn minimizes leakage if there’s a breach.
- Enhance incident response plans: The better-defined response plans prevent the spread of damage and ensures easy communication while crisis management.
2. National Public Data’s Billion-Record Leak
Hackers stole 2.9 billion records from a company called National Public Data, a background check service. It has full names, addresses and Social Security numbers, mostly of people who do not know that this company had even collected information from them. The cause of this may be due to weak encryption, according to some critics.
Lessons learned:
- Apply advanced encryption standards: Good encryption could minimize the use of stolen data.
- Increase transparency: Companies should make sure that people know what data is being collected and how it is protected.
- Regular audits: Continuous vulnerability scanning can detect weaknesses before attackers exploit them.
3. Change Healthcare’s Ransomware Nightmare
A ransomware attack on Change Healthcare shut down medical services across the country, impacting 100 million users. The hackers were identified as the BlackCat group, who took advantage of the fact that multi-factor authentication was not enabled on employee systems.
Lessons learned:
- Implement MFA: Every access point must be protected with multiple ways of authentication.
- Prepare for downtime: Create continuity plans that ensure minimum disruption of critical services.
- Regular training: Equip employees to recognize phishing attempts and other attacks.
4. AT&T’s Dual Data Breaches
AT&T had two significant data breaches in 2024. The first had the information of 73 million account holders, and the second had nearly all its customers, which adds up to 110 million. Hackers accessed the data using third-party platforms, which includes Snowflake.
Lessons learned:
- External third-party access needs to be very secure
- Encrypting sensitive metadata and other sensitive information
- Proactive surveillance: Early detection and response in accordance with the treatment of small breaches.
5. North Korean Cyber Farms
A North Korean cell infiltrated the United States through fake remote worker profiles. Utilizing phony identities and hacked corporate laptops, the North Koreans laundered money for the North Korean nuclear program.
Lessons learned:
- Onboard securely: Background check thoroughly, identity verification should be complete.
- New hire access control: Minimize access to key systems while onboard.
- Monitor remote devices: Have a strict policy for the security of the remote working station and monitor all activities.
6. Ticketmaster’s Supply Chain Hack
Hackers accessed 560 million customer records by breaching Ticketmaster, exploiting third-party integration vulnerabilities. The hackers affiliated with the ShinyHunters group hacked into customers’ payment data and access credentials.
Lessons learned:
- Check third-party supply chains: Monitor and ensure that the third-party suppliers or integrations they use have up-to-date security.
- Secure financial information: Reinforce payment account encryption and detection mechanisms to minimize fraud attacks on financial data.
- Third-party contract safeguards: Have an iron-clad security contract in the third-party engagement.
7. Synnovis Pathology Lab Ransomware Hack
Qilin ransomware attackers have stolen information from Synnovis, a U.K. pathology lab, containing sensitive patient information including test results for cancer and HIV. This attack affected over 300 million records and is the latest attack on the healthcare industry.
Lessons learned:
- Secure sensitive data: Use advanced encryption for sensitive medical records.
- Invest in cyber resilience: Invest in infrastructure that will be able to quickly recover after attacks.
- Train the healthcare staff on identifying cybersecurity threats and how to react.
8. U.K. Ministry of Defence Payroll Breach
The breach of the payroll system at the U.K. Ministry of Defence exposed sensitive personal data relating to military staff. The third-party contractor managing the payroll had exploited vulnerabilities within its system.
Lessons learned:
- Insulate core operations: Process sensitive data internally whenever possible.
- Strengthen encryption: Protect sensitive data through encryption, end-to-end.
- Periodic penetration testing: Conduct mock attacks to find vulnerabilities before bad guys do.
9. CDK Global Automotive Industry Disruption
A cyberattack on CDK Global halted business operations for thousands of car dealerships in North America. The attack showed how poor employee education and security policies can cause devastating problems.
Lessons learned:
- Security education: Train employees on what to look for and how to stop the bad guys.
- Manage vendor security: Make sure vendors maintain a good level of cybersecurity.
- Strengthen incident response: Quick responses can limit operational disruptions and financial losses.
The breaches this year highlighted a worrying reality: no organization is immune to cyberattacks. As we enter 2025, it is imperative for businesses to adopt proactive measures-from strengthening encryption and implementing MFA to training employees and securing third-party integrations. By learning from these incidents, organizations can bolster their defenses and mitigate the risks of future attacks.
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