The year 2024 has been marked by some of the most significant and damaging data breaches in recent history. These breaches have surpassed 1 billion stolen records, leaving individuals exposed and emboldening cybercriminals. In this article, we will delve into some of the worst data breaches of 2024, examining how they occurred, their impact, and potential preventative measures.
One notable breach involved AT&T, where a hacker leaked a sample of stolen customer data three years prior. However, in March, a data breach broker dumped the full cache of 73 million customer records online. This breach exposed customers’ personal information, including names, phone numbers, and addresses. What made matters worse was the discovery that the exposed data contained encrypted passcodes for accessing AT&T accounts. These passcodes could be easily unscrambled, putting 7.6 million existing AT&T customer accounts at risk. AT&T took action only after a security researcher alerted them to this vulnerability. The source of the data leak remains a mystery.
Another significant breach occurred at Change Healthcare, a health insurance giant in the United States. Two years after the U.S. Justice Department attempted to block UnitedHealth Group’s acquisition of Change Healthcare to prevent broad access to Americans’ health insurance claims, Change Healthcare fell victim to a ransomware attack. The hackers stole sensitive health data because one critical system lacked multi-factor authentication. The cyberattack caused widespread outages in hospitals and healthcare practices across the country. The full consequences of this breach are yet to be realized, but it is expected to have irreversible effects. The number of affected individuals remains uncertain, with estimates ranging from one-third to potentially hundreds of millions of people.
In the United Kingdom, Synnovis, a pathology lab handling blood and tissue testing for hospitals, experienced a cyberattack in June. This attack caused ongoing disruptions to patient services, leading to the postponement of thousands of operations and procedures. A Russia-based ransomware gang was responsible for stealing data related to 300 million patient interactions, some dating back years. The hackers attempted to extort a $50 million ransom from Synnovis but were unsuccessful. However, the lab’s refusal to pay left the U.K. government scrambling to prepare for the possible release of millions of health records. It was also revealed that one of the NHS trusts affected by the outages had failed to meet data security standards in the years leading up to the attack.
Snowflake, a cloud data giant, experienced a series of data thefts that resulted in one of the biggest breaches of the year. Cybercriminals stole hundreds of millions of customer data from major companies by using stolen credentials of data engineers with access to Snowflake environments. Ticketmaster allegedly had 560 million records stolen, while other companies like Advance Auto Parts and TEG had millions of records compromised. Snowflake’s lack of security measures, such as requiring multi-factor authentication, contributed to these breaches. Incident response firm Mandiant reported that around 165 Snowflake customers had data stolen, affecting a significant volume of customer data.
These data breaches highlight the urgent need for stronger security measures and protocols. Companies must prioritize multi-factor authentication, encryption, and regular security audits to protect sensitive customer information. The consequences of these breaches are far-reaching and long-lasting, impacting individuals’ privacy and providing cybercriminals with opportunities for further malicious activities. As we move forward, it is crucial that organizations invest in robust cybersecurity practices to prevent future breaches and safeguard personal data.
