2018 saw a series of malicious hacks and data breaches. In this article, let’s take a look at the biggest cybersecurity attacks 2018.
Indeed, no one is safe from cybersecurity attacks. You are a prime target for hackers as long as you possess data. It doesn’t matter if your enterprise is in the private or public sector.
It’s estimated hackers compromised over 4.5 billion records. Yet, that is just in the first half of 2018. That massive number does not cover the second half of the year. Without further ado, here are the biggest cybersecurity attacks 2018.
MyHeritage
MyHeritage is a DNA ancestry company. Hackers stole over 92 million sensitive records from MyHeritage. Moreover, this is one of the biggest cybersecurity attacks 2018.
The company claims that hackers didn’t get their hands on any genetic data. Cybercriminals were more interested in email addresses and passwords. Yet, this is not the time to stay confident. If cybercriminals could gain access to DNA, just imagine what is possible for them in the future.
DNA analysis websites and biometric recognition technology are getting popular today. As result, the amount of existing digital biometric data is greater than ever. Hence, that also makes the chances of a data breach higher than ever.
TicketFly
TicketFly is a ticket merchant and a subsidiary of EventBrite. Cybercriminals attacked TicketFly and comprised the information of over 26 million customers. Such information included names, email addresses, phone numbers, and addresses.
The attack made several venues offer free music shows. This is because TicketFly had no choice but to temporarily shut down their website. Furthermore, TicketFly suffered from the breach as they took major losses due to the bill.
Medicare and Medicaid
2018 is no different in terms of government hacks. HealthCare.gov, the government’s Affordable Care Act enrollment website, was a victim of a data breach. Fortunately, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services acted immediately. Hackers breached the records of 75,000 users – a relatively small portion of total users.
But that is not good news, of course. A breach is still a breach. Ever wondered why hackers chose the CMS among other government bodies? One reason is hackers attack healthcare entities to gain valuable consumer information such as SSNs and financial data.
British Airways
In August 2018, cybercriminals stole the data of 380,000 travelers. The victims used the website and mobile apps prior to the incident. Furthermore, hackers gained access to their personal data including full credit card information.
The response of the airline in the incident was transparent. The company immediately notified the victims. Moreover, British Airways quickly admitted their mistake. Additionally, they instructed victims on how to reach out to their personal banks.
Marriott
In November 2018, Marriott confirmed that hackers stole around 500 million guests’ information. Marriott detected the breach in September 2018 but could date back to 2014. This is one of the largest data breaches in history. What’s more alarming is hackers stole sensitive information such as credit card details and passport numbers.
