Notable Breaches of 2024

In 2024, the digital landscape has continued to be rocked by significant data breaches affecting millions of individuals and a wide range of sectors. These incidents underscore the growing sophistication of cyber attackers and the escalating impact of breaches on privacy, security, and trust.

2024

• Hunter Biden Data Breach: A notable incident involving the son of US President Joe Biden, with a lawsuit filed against Rudy Giuliani and his lawyer for sharing personal information obtained from Hunter Biden’s laptop.
• SONY Data Breach: SONY was targeted by the ransomware group Ransomware.vc, threatening to sell stolen data due to SONY’s refusal to pay ransom demands.
• Ontario Birth Registry Data Breach: Approximately 3.4 million individuals affected by a breach of Ontario’s birth registry, exposing healthcare data of more than two million babies born over the past ten years.
• Topgolf Callaway and Freecycle Data Breaches: Affecting over one million customers and seven million users respectively, these breaches involved a wide range of personal data.
• Forever 21, Duolingo, and Discord.io Breaches: Spanning from retail to educational platforms, these incidents highlighted the diverse targets of cyber attackers​ ​.

The “Mother of All Breaches”

A massive compilation of breaches dubbed the “mother of all breaches” exposed over 26 billion records online. This monumental discovery wasn’t attributed to a single event but rather a compilation of multiple breaches, often created by data enrichment companies. This incident serves as a grim reminder of the vast amount of personal data floating in the cyber ether, vulnerable to exploitation​ ​.

Cyber Incident Trends

2024 saw a continuation of previous years’ trends, with ransomware attacks and supply chain attacks being notably prevalent. Despite efforts in cyber defense, attackers continually adapt, finding new vulnerabilities to exploit. The data suggests a substantial increase in publicly disclosed security incidents and breached records compared to the previous year, emphasizing the escalating challenge of cybersecurity​.

Other Significant Breaches

• McLaren Health Care: Exposed sensitive information on approximately 2.2 million patients, including Social Security numbers and personal health information.
• Seiko and Philadelphia: Confirmed significant breaches affecting customer personal data and city residents’ personal and health information.
• 23andMe: Credential stuffing attacks compromised data on an estimated 4 million users, underscoring the risks associated with reused passwords across platforms.
• Sony and State Department: Separate incidents led to the exposure of employee data and over 60,000 emails from State Department officials​​.

These incidents across various sectors and organizations underline the critical need for robust cybersecurity measures, including encryption, secure authentication methods, and public awareness about data privacy. They also highlight the importance of prompt incident response and transparent communication with affected parties. As cyber threats evolve, so too must our strategies to protect sensitive information and maintain trust in digital systems.