5 Huge Data Breaches: Unveiling the Digital Disasters
In today's interconnected world, data breaches have become increasingly common, exposing sensitive information to malicious actors. Here, we explore the five largest data breaches in history, shedding light on the massive impact these incidents have had on individuals and organizations alike.
5. Target: The Retail Giant's Breach
In 2013, Target experienced a data breach that affected 40 million credit and debit card accounts, along with the personal information of 70 million customers. Hackers gained access to the data through a third-party vendor, highlighting the importance of supply chain security. The breach resulted in significant financial losses and a damaged reputation for the retail giant.
4. Equifax: The Credit Reporting Agency Breach
In 2017, Equifax, one of the largest credit reporting agencies in the US, announced a data breach that affected 147 million consumers. The breach exposed names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses, and some driver's license numbers. This breach underscored the critical need for robust security measures in companies handling sensitive financial information.
3. Aadhaar: The Indian National ID Breach
India's Aadhaar system, the world's largest biometric ID program, suffered a major breach in 2018. The breach exposed the personal information of over 1.1 billion Indian citizens, including names, addresses, phone numbers, and biometric data. The breach raised significant concerns about data privacy and the security of large-scale government databases.
2. Marriott International: The Hotel Chain Hack
Marriott International disclosed in 2018 that hackers had accessed the Starwood guest reservation database since 2014. The breach affected approximately 500 million guests, exposing personal details such as names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, passport numbers, and in some cases, encrypted credit card information. This breach highlighted vulnerabilities in the hospitality industry.
1. Yahoo: The Billion-Account Breach
In 2013 and 2014, Yahoo experienced two massive data breaches that compromised over 3 billion user accounts. The breaches included names, email addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, and hashed passwords. Yahoo's delayed disclosure of these breaches significantly impacted its reputation and led to a $350 million reduction in its sale price to Verizon.