Studying the history of hacking incidents teaches cybersecurity experts that anything can be accessed if someone is determined enough. Cyberattacks have been around since before the internet. The first hacking incident happened in 1834 when two people stole data about the financial market by tapping into the French Telegraph System. Others used wireless telegraphy throughout the years.
The first computer-based hacking incident was thought to occur on a college campus. MIT limited how much time students could spend on computers. In 1962, Allan Scherr decided they should get more. He used a punch card, printed all the passwords in the university’s system and passed them out to students.
Computer viruses emerged, followed by more sophisticated hacking. Eventually, phishing, SQL injections, ransomware and denial of service attacks joined the fray. Today, hackers are tapping into the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to up the ante.
Biggest Cyberattacks of 2024
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, more employees have worked remotely than ever before. Although some companies offer a hybrid situation, many others allow people to fully work from home (WFH), leaving doors open for cyberthieves to enter.
One report showed that around 25% of employees working remotely didn’t know their work device’s security protocols. Collaboration apps were of particular concern, allowing hackers more entry points to proprietary information.
Some of the most notable attacks of 2024 showed where vulnerabilities lie. If companies with large information technology (IT) budgets fall victim to AI bots and cybercriminals, then small businesses are also at risk.
- Ticketmaster
In May 2024, Ticketmaster Entertainment LLC was attacked by a cybercriminal group called ShinyHunters. The hackers got in through a third-party cloud storage provider and stole the names and contact information of 560 million worldwide customers.
The cyberthieves tried to sell user information online. Credit card details were encrypted, so the company didn’t address the issue of what data might be compromised. The event highlights the importance of third-party hosting providers and shows vulnerabilities in cloud storage.
- Dell Technologies
Also in May 2024, Dell Technologies suffered a data breach by a threat actor called Menelik. He was proud of his accomplishment of stealing data for 49 million customers and outsmarting a huge company’s IT department, bragging that he used Dell’s portal and created partner accounts to get to the information.
Later in the year, Dell also suffered a hacking incident targeting employee information. The two incidents highlight just how sophisticated hackers are becoming with new tools such as AI and having greater access to other hackers they can learn from.
- The City of Helsinki
The city of Helsinki, Finland, fell victim to a hacker who exploited a weakness in a remote access server, proving even government entities aren’t immune to cyberattacks. They gained access to student, parent and faculty data.
The lesson learned from the attack is that IT systems must be updated regularly, and automating updates can help prevent them. The hacker went right in the front door of the servers, not even trying to hide their entry.
Small businesses might find it beneficial to hire a professional hacker to identify system weaknesses so they can be fixed before an incident occurs.
- Other Major Incidents
Those are just three of the many hacking incidents in 2024. A few others include:
- Change Healthcare: Hackers requested a ransom payment or they’d continue to disrupt health care operations software.
- Sav-RX: Cyberthieves stole patients’ contact and financial data, proving ongoing monitoring is a must.
- Microsoft: Hackers from Russia accessed executive accounts through an old account that didn’t have two-factor authentication (2FA) activated.
Lessons to Enhance Cybersecurity
Small-business owners and cybersecurity professionals can learn a lot by studying 2024’s hacking incidents. Knowing the game plan of hackers is the first step to securing a website. Of course, cybercriminals constantly come up with new techniques to get around security systems, so IT leaders must keep up with trends and test their servers repeatedly.
There are several lessons to hold onto as the world leaves 2024 and heads into a new year with even more cyberthreats than before.
- Train Employees
Many workers fail to fully understand how a simple error like failing to install 2FA can put the entire company at risk. Spend time training staff about phishing and basic security measures, especially for those working from home.
The majority of phishing scams start with the user clicking on a link. Make it a companywide policy that no one sends links in emails and they should never click on one, always going to a browser and typing in the address instead.
- Keep Backups
Having full backups can get a site up and running again quickly. Otherwise, those in health care and other crucial sectors may fall victim to ransomware demands. Having a backup can make websites operational while IT figures out how to increase security.
- Be Proactive
Small businesses must take the lead in protecting their servers from ever-increasing attacks. Hackers are savvier than ever before, so company leaders must know the trending methods and safeguard their systems.
Ideally, IT should install software that continuously scans for weaknesses and patterns that indicate hackers are in the system. Stopping an incident in its tracks can prevent data loss and customer concerns over leaked personal details.
- Choose Industry-Specific Protections
Some industries are more at risk than others. Cybercriminals have attacked every type of business imaginable in 2024. However, a focus on health care, education and big business led to ransom demands and crucial data being leaked.
An interruption in the financial or health industries can be detrimental and even deadly in some cases. The ability to stop such attacks and get back online quickly reduces the damage.
Awareness and Action Are Key
Cybersecurity continues to evolve as cyber attackers develop new methods. It’s crucial to pay attention to third-party software providers, cloud computing and internal server protections. A successful cybersecurity plan considers all potential threats and eliminates the most likely ones. By being proactive, small businesses can avoid an incident and protect customer data.
About the Author
Zac Amos is the Features Editor at ReHack, where he covers cybersecurity and the tech industry. For more of his content, follow him on X (Twitter) or LinkedIn.
