Table of contents
Table of contents
National Public Data, where hackers claim to steal 2.9 billion personal data
Ticketmaster data breach where hackers reportedly stole 1.3 TB of customer data files
Change Health Group healthcare data breach with 100 million affected
AT&T data breach with 73 million users affected
Ransomware attack on Synnovis, a British pathology laboratory with 300 million affected users
The importance of cybersecurity
This was a historically terrible year in terms of data breaches. We’ve seen a number of record-breaking breaches this year that captured the public’s attention, with hackers gaining access to highly sensitive information including Social Security numbers, credit card numbers and more.
Let’s look back at the worst cybersecurity incidents of the year and encourage us all to be as careful as possible with our online activities.
National Public Data, where hackers claim to steal 2.9 billion personal data
Background checking company National Public Data, also known as Jerico Pictures, suffered one of the worst data breaches when hackers reportedly stole 2.9 billion personal records. The class action lawsuit alleged that hackers leaked crucial data, such as full names, addresses and relative information, to the computer dark web.
Many were surprised to find themselves on the list of affected users, as they were unaware the company had their information in the first place. The class action lawsuit also demanded that NPD adopt a threat management system, conduct database scans and hire a third-party evaluator to evaluate its cybersecurity network for the next decade.
According to a lawsuit, an identity theft protection service provider notified the affected user, Christopher Hofman, around July 24, but the breach may have occurred in April. When sensitive information, such as your social security number, is made public, your best bet is to take further action, such as contacting customer service Social Security Administration to inform them. You can also place a credit freeze with major credit bureaus such as TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax.
There is no official information on how the hackers obtained the data, but they did suggested that unencrypted personal information could have been the cause. Regardless of whether or not you are one of the best password managersyou can keep your data safe by using a strong password.
Ticketmaster data breach where hackers reportedly stole 1.3 TB of customer data files
In 2024, threat actors hacked Ticketmaster’s systems, and hackers claimed they sold the user data of 560 million customers. This incident coincided with the Lawsuit Ministry of Justice against Ticketmaster for allegedly monopolizing markets in the live conversion industry. User data, such as emails, phone numbers, partial payment card details, names and more, was at risk. The hackers offered the stolen data on Breach Forums (owned by the hacker group Shiny Hunters) for $500,000.
Ticketmaster has submitted an application 8-K archiving with the Federal Securities and Exchange Commission, which a company files when it experiences an unexpected major event of significance to investors and shareholders. The hackers who claimed responsibility are known as ShinyHunters and may also be behind the Santander Bank breach.
Ticketmaster has not confirmed how the hackers gained access, but did confirm how Hackers from ShinyHunters tell Wiredthey hacked a third-party contractor to gain access to Ticketmaster and others’ Snowflake cloud account. Ticketmaster has not confirmed this, so you should take the news with a grain of salt. Skyhigh Security states that hackers used information-stealing malware to gain access to the necessary credentials. No one wants to fall victim to this type of malware, but you can stay safe by, for example, enabling multi-factor authentication, which adds an extra layer of security to your accounts. It’s something that even Airbnb uses to keep user accounts secure.
Change Health Group healthcare data breach with 100 million affected
A ransomware attack caused chaos across the countrystopping pharmacies and influencing the data of 100 million users for weeks. The target was Change Healthcare, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group that manages the finances of medical providers. Hackers entered Change Healthcare’s employee system due to a lack of multi-factor authentication on login credentials.
The breach caused extensive damage: hospitals and doctors were not paid, prescriptions were not filled, and insurance companies were unable to reimburse medical providers. “The Change Healthcare hack is considered by many to be the largest healthcare cybersecurity disruption in American history,” Senator Ron Wyden said in the paper. committee statement. Change Healthcare confirmed that the BlackCat ransomware group was responsible for the attack.
It’s important to know what ransomware isand there are precautions you can take to stay safe, such as updating your software. You should also be careful about the links or attachments you click and make sure they come from trustworthy sources. Using the best antivirus software you can afford is also a plus.
AT&T data breach with 73 million users affected
AT&T
The second-largest airline in the US has been through a lot this year, with at least one breach affecting 7.6 million current AT&T account holders and 65.4 million former account holders. The second breach the company experienced occurred in March, but the second breach occurred from May 1 to October 31, 2022. The compromised data also included data from January 2, 2023, but only for a few customers.
The affected data included phone numbers that AT&T wireless numbers communicated with, including home phone numbers. What you normally don’t hear is that the police have arrested at least one person in this case. AT&T released a statement saying that sensitive information such as social security numbers had been compromised.
AT&T urged customers to remain vigilant about suspicious activity on their accounts and to change their account passcodes. They also offered customers credit monitoring on their charges, but said nothing about offering any of the best plans for identity theft protection.
Ransomware attack on Synnovis, a British pathology laboratory with 300 million affected users
According to The GuardianIn 2024, 300 million British patients had their data stolen when cybercrime gang Qilin allegedly stole information about blood test results for cancer and HIV. It was unknown whether those affected paid the ransomware costs and how much user data the hackers stole. The sensitive information concerned patients undergoing various operations, such as organ transplants. Other patients involved included those who had had blood transfusions and STDs. Sensitive data includes NHS numbers, patient names and descriptions of tests.
The hackers claim to have posted 104 files with a content of 380 GB on a messaging platform, including an image of the Synnovis logo.
The importance of cybersecurity
You can’t avoid all attacks, but by taking cybersecurity more seriously, you can prevent many attacks from hitting you. You can stay safe by not creating passwords that hackers can easily guesssuch as 123456 or ‘password’, which is amazingly one of the most popular passwords of 2024. If you need help, you can use the best password managers to create long and strong passwords. Also, constantly scan emails for malware, use firewalls and endpoint security, make sure you back up your files, download only from trusted sites, and never click on unverified links.
Even if you take all possible precautions, some things are out of your control. You can only hope that companies entrusted with your data maintain the highest possible security standards. We’ll have to wait and see what 2025 has in store and how big or small the breaches will be.
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