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The Top 5 Cyber Security Breaches of 2017

data securityCybersecurity breaches kept us on our toes in 2017

The year 2017 witnessed many of the massive cyber attacks launched against some of the largest companies. In the first six months of 2017, more than 1.9 billion data records were either stolen or lost, according to a study.

Majority of the cyber attacks were carried out by cybercriminals who exploited security loopholes in the data storage systems, weak cybersecurity defenses, and improper security settings. When we take a look at the biggest attacks, it becomes evident that the cybercriminals didn’t even use highly complex attack mechanisms. They simply used the common cybersecurity loopholes to execute their nefarious designs.

Here are the biggest cybersecurity breaches of 2017:

1. Equifax

Possibility the largest data security breach of 2017 happened when cybercriminals managed to steal the identity information and credit card data of more than 143 million customers of Equifax. The cause of the breach was said to be a fissure in open source software that the company used. The loophole let the attackers steal the sensitive information of the company’s customers.

2. Verizon

In July 2017, cybercriminals managed to expose the personal data of Verizon’s more than fourteen million customers. The attack happened because a third-party vendor of Verizon stored the data of the company’s customers on an insecure Amazon S3 server. The exposed data included names, PINs, contact information, and any other information stored on the server.

3. Uber

In 2016, Uber became the target of cybercriminals, but the company disclosed the news only in 2017. Uber said hackers managed to steal the personal data of about 57 million customers and drivers in Oct. 2016. So, what did Uber do then to neutralize the hackers? Well, the company paid them a ransom of $100,000 to destroy the stolen data. The stolen information included names, contact information, ride information, and other sensitive data.

4. RNC Contractor

The RNC had entered into an agreement with marketing firm Deep Root Analytics to reach out to 200 million voters. The marketing firm stored the data on an unprotected Amazon server. The database saved on the server was not correctly configured. As a result, a massive data breach happened. While the data belonged to the contractor, it severely affected RNC’s image.

5. Deloitte

Cybercriminals attacked Deloitte in 2017 by hacking into its global email server. The attack saw the hackers stealing the sensitive information of the company’s customers and key clients. Also, the attackers were able to access the company’s internal email communications. The criminals also managed to steal the usernames, passwords, and other sensitive data.