Data Breaches

Greece Government Data Breach 2012

Prevented by: EGR · Contained by: HSF

In 2012, the Greece government was hacked, exposing 9,000,000 records, including addresses, ID card data, tax ID numbers, and license plate numbers.

LinkedIn Password Breach

Prevented by: HSF, PEC, EGR

The LinkedIn Password Breach in 2012 affected over 117 million user accounts by exposing passwords hashed with the insecure SHA1 algorithm, unsalted. The breach data was subsequently sold on cybercrime forums, with LeakedSource holding a searchable database. The exposure of user credentials posed significant risks of unauthorized account access.

California Department of Child Support Services Data Breach

In 2012, the California Department of Child Support Services experienced a data breach when magnetic tapes were lost in transit, compromising the personal data of 800,000 individuals, including names, addresses, and Social Security numbers. This incident highlighted vulnerabilities in physical media security and the absence of encryption, with no involvement of external threat actors.

Google Aurora Incident

Prevented by: PEC, EGR

The Google Aurora Incident was a significant cyber attack in December 2009 targeting Google and other corporations. The attack, attributed to actors linked to the Chinese state, aimed to steal intellectual property and infiltrate Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists. Attackers exploited a zero-day vulnerability in Internet Explorer, using malware to gain unauthorized access and exfiltrate sensitive data.

Heartland Payment Systems Data Breach

Prevented by: PEC, EGR

The Heartland Payment Systems data breach in 2008 compromised approximately 130 million payment card records. The breach was executed using SQL injection attacks to install malware, capturing sensitive financial data such as credit card numbers over a prolonged period. Albert Gonzalez, a known cybercriminal, was attributed as the architect of this breach. The incident revealed significant vulnerabilities in Heartland’s transaction processes leading to substantial financial and reputational damage.

TJX Companies Inc. Data Breach

Prevented by: PEC, EGR

The TJX Companies Inc. data breach, discovered in January 2007 but originating in July 2005, compromised 94 million records, including credit card data and personal information such as driver’s license numbers. Attackers exploited outdated WEP encryption on TJX’s wireless networks, leading to a major security incident impacting numerous customers.