2024 is drawing to a close. The clocks have turned back, Halloween season is over, and the weather has mostly cooled down (excluding some random 80 degree days). As we approach the end of the year, let’s take a look back at some of its biggest breaches.
This year has been marked by unprecedented data breaches, with over a billion records compromised. AT&T in particular faced two significant breaches, compromising the phone numbers and call records of approximately 110 million customers. The breaches, rooted in insufficient security measures from data partner Snowflake, posed severe risks for individuals, including those not directly associated with AT&T. Meanwhile, Change Healthcare’s security lapse led to the exposure of medical and personal data of nearly one-third of Americans, resulting in widespread disruptions and ongoing ramifications.
The healthcare sector wasn’t alone in its vulnerabilities. U.K.’s Synnovis experienced a ransomware attack that affected millions of patient records and caused significant operational disruptions across London hospitals (we talked about that here). Another major breach involved cloud data giant Snowflake, where compromised credentials led to the theft of hundreds of millions of customer records from prominent companies like Ticketmaster.
Adding to the list of breaches, Cencora disclosed the loss of patient health data impacting over a million individuals, while MediSecure’s ransomware attack in Australia affected nearly half the population. Kaiser Permanente and the USPS also faced backlash for inadvertently sharing sensitive information with advertisers, showcasing the widespread impact of lax data protection policies across various sectors.
Furthermore, a ransomware attack on Evolve Bank compromised personal data of over 7.6 million people, mainly impacting fintech customers. National Public Data, a data broker, filed for bankruptcy after a massive breach exposed 3 billion records, highlighting the severe financial and regulatory consequences of inadequate data security.
The staggering frequency and magnitude of these data breaches highlights the urgent need for robust cybersecurity measures and vigilant data protection practices. Evolve with the landscape, and stay vigilant to protect your information from cyber criminals.
Story courtesy of Tech Crunch. Want tips & stories on other breaches? Read here.