Security breaches are often the subject of debate among various circles of software developers. It turns out that the mirage of getting through solid security systems is an appealing challenge to many daring rr. The hackers seem to know their way around even the most complicated systems and this means that greater care should be taken. In the last decade, there were some major security hacks which affected both websites and users alike. This means that they simply need to come up with something better in order to protect themselves. For the ones who are keen to know the five major hacks of the last decades, here is a list which might open up their options.
1. PBS.org
Having as a responsible the LulzSec, the hacked PBS.org has been just a sheer response to the portrayal done by Frontline of Bradley Manning. This guy is known to be the leaker from WikiLeaks. The whole idea was to get control of the website and to publish some false information. When PBS noticed the hack, they were not able to gain access to their own site very quickly. This is why they used their Facebook page in order to post the major news. This hack has been viewed as an attempt to silence the press. The company has not released any statement regarding the financial cost or the information lost. The fact remains that there was a sure struggle to get control back over the website.
2. Plugins for WordPress.org
The attack towards a variety of sites which contained code developed plugins was a serious one while it gets access to third party users. The attacked plugins were the Wptouch, W3 Total Cache and AddThis. The whole breach lasted for about 24 hours but was then solved. The users which had those plugins were encouraged to update them quickly. The whole idea was to gain access to the passwords used on other sites which had not taken additional cautionary measures.
3. Citigroup
The same LulzSec is responsible for a major loss in the Citi data. This means that all customer names, emails, contact data and account numbers were lost. Even if Citibank assured the clients, that things like social security number, date of birth, card security codes and expiration dates were not compromised. However, the customers have to be aware of the risk of various scams and phishing attempts as their other data was extracted. The number of accounts stolen was about 210,000 and the company did not release any financial damages figure.
4. CIA, FBI and the US Senate
These servers have always been a sort of a Holy Grail for many hackers and in many cases they just do it in order to prove that they can. The LulzSec seems to be one of the important responsible factors in this whole attempt. In many cases, people believe that it is fun to point out the weaknesses in the security systems. However many companies and individuals end up suffering from these hacks as their personal data is exposed. Even if many users seem to support LulzSec, many officials underline the fact that there are other ways of exposing the insecure systems which are more constructive. In terms of loss, the InfraGard had all its member data and information completely erased. The CIA, FBI and US Senate were also under attack and even their phone system got a series of denials of service attacks.
5. The Sony hacks
Sony has been on the top list of 2011 hacks and this has gained notoriety on the search engines and related websites. Even if they did not want that to happen, their gadgets were particularly targeted. Sony is under serious attack from both consumers and also court laws. The LulzSec are responsible for exposing the breach in security of some of the well-known Playstation series. The games were put on as unplayable and this meant a huge loss of money for the whole business. The company stated in April 2011 that the cost of the hack was around $170 million. By the end of the same month, the number exploded to $1.5 billion. Sadly, in May, Sony announced that the whole hacking issue would cost the company ten times their revenue for the stated period. The sum of $24 billion is a large one and shows exactly what sort of problems the company was into.
Security hacks show both the downside of the systems they penetrate and also harm innocent users. They also represent an alarm system for the developers who cannot rest on their laurels when it comes to protecting personal data. In many cases, the true value of the damage cannot be counted, but even if the company does not issue a sum, it is clear that these things cost.
Author Bio
This is a guest post by Adam Orchard a new Londoner (ex Cornishman), who has avid interests in computing, programming, online gaming and all things techy. He writes on behalf of Mimecast whom are market leaders in the fields of email security, archiving and management.
