Major Data Breaches of 2024

No one is Secure out there.

Organisations produce tons of Data and try to store it at various locations and mediums. The locations can be on prem or cloud. But this year has seen major increase in the Data Breach which poses a mjor threat to companies.

In 2024, the cybersecurity landscape saw several major data breaches impacting millions worldwide. Some of the most significant incidents include:

1. **National Public Data Breach**: The largest breach in history, affecting 2.7 billion people across the U.S., Canada, and the U.K., exposed sensitive personal records, including Social Security numbers. This incident demonstrated the severe vulnerabilities in large-scale public data repositories.

2. **Ticketmaster Breach**: Approximately 560 million records, including personal details like names, addresses, and possibly payment information, were exposed. The incident highlighted the risks associated with handling large volumes of customer data.

3. **AT&T**: A breach compromised the sensitive data of 73 million customers, exposing Social Security numbers and account details. The scale of this attack raised concerns over the security measures employed by telecom companies.

4. **Change Healthcare**: In February, this company faced a ransomware attack that significantly disrupted healthcare services, affecting patient data and claim processing. UnitedHealth reportedly paid a ransom to resolve the incident.

5. **Microsoft Executive Accounts**: A sophisticated attack targeting Microsoft led to the compromise of executive email accounts, including those of senior leadership and federal agencies. The breach was attributed to a Russia-linked group exploiting a legacy account's lack of multi-factor authentication.

6. **Trello Leak**: The project management tool faced a breach where an API exploit exposed 15 million user records, including email addresses and other personal information. The company has since tightened security on its APIs.

7. **PlayDapp Attack**: The blockchain gaming platform suffered a significant financial loss after hackers exploited vulnerabilities and stole 1.79 billion PLA tokens, worth around $290 million.

These incidents reflect a broader trend of increasing sophistication in cyberattacks, with a surge in phishing, AI-driven threats, and ransomware impacting various sectors, from healthcare to finance and public infrastructure