2024: THE YEAR DATA BREACHES BROKE THE INTERNET – WHAT EVERY PROFESSIONAL NEEDS TO KNOW

2024 wasn’t just another year for cybersecurity - it was a wake-up call. From?2.9 billion records, with with highly sensitive personal data (SSN) of up to 170M people in the US, UK, and Canada?to Ransomware Attacks paralyzing healthcare systems, the scale and sophistication of data breaches shattered records and trust globally. As professionals, understanding these incidents isn’t just about awareness; it’s about survival in an era where data is both currency and liability. Let’s look into the most catastrophic breaches of 2024, their root causes, and the lessons we?must?learn to protect our organizations.

National Public Data: The Breach That Bankrupted a Company

Records Compromised:?2.7-3 billion records (US, UK, CANADA).

Impact:?Social Security numbers, addresses, and voter records of nearly every U.S. citizen exposed.

A Florida-based background check company(NPD) became a cautionary tale when hackers (USDoD) stole a treasure trove of personal data. The breach began with a leaked zip file containing plain-text credentials, enabling access to a database of 2.9 billion records. The fallout?

A class-action lawsuit tsunami and?Chapter 11 bankruptcy?for National Public Data by October 2024, forced NPD to cease operations (https://nationalpublicdata.com/).

Ticketmaster, Santander & Snowflake: The Cloud’s Achilles’ Heel

Records Compromised:?560 million (Ticketmaster) & 165 organizations via Snowflake.

Impact:?Payment details, phone numbers, and call logs.

Hackers exploited Snowflake’s cloud storage by using stolen credentials from infostealer malware. The absence of?multi-factor authentication (MFA)?allowed UNC5537, a financially motivated group, to pillage data from Ticketmaster, Santander Bank, and AT&T. Their custom tool, “rapeflake,” enabled them to conduct reconnaissance within compromised Snowflake instances. ?? Source

Change Healthcare: Ransomware Attack

Records Compromised:?145 million

Impact:?Personal, medical and billing information.

How it Happened: The BlackCat threat group was able to exploit vulnerabilities in the infrastructure; a critical lack of MFA; the attack targeted the electronic data interchange (EDI) systems. Due to the attack nationwide pharmacy chains experienced significant operational disruptions, military healthcare services through Tricare were systematically impacted. ?? Source

Other:

1. Dell Data Breach

• Records Compromised: 49 million customers
• Impact: Customer service data leaked, exposing purchase history.
• How it Happened: Unauthorized access to Dell’s customer data system. ?? Source

2. Home Depot Employee Data Leak

• Records Compromised: Undisclosed
• Impact: Exposure of Home Depot employee information.
• How it Happened: Misconfigured database allowed unauthorized access. ?? Source

3. Nissan North America Data Breach

• Records Compromised: 53,000 employees
• Impact: Employee personal data leaked.
• How it Happened: Cyberattack targeting Nissan’s internal databases. ?? Source

4. BBC Data Breach

• Records Compromised: 25,000 employees
• Impact: Exposure of BBC staff personal information.
• How it Happened: Unauthorized access to internal HR databases. ?? Source

5. Healthcare Sector Data Breaches

• Records Compromised: Over 186 million
• Impact: Widespread patient data exposure across multiple organizations.
• How it Happened: Various cyberattacks, predominantly hacking incidents. ?? Source

6. HealthEquity Data Breach

• Records Compromised: 4.3 million people
• Impact: Exposure of personal and health data.
• How it Happened: Third-party vendor breach. ?? Source

7. Toyota Third-Party Data Breach

• Records Compromised: Undisclosed
• Impact: Customer data exposed through an external service provider.
• How it Happened: Third-party vulnerability led to a breach. ?? Source

8. Fortinet Data Breach

• Records Compromised: 440GB of sensitive data
• Impact: Exposure of internal security-related files.
• How it Happened: Hacker gained unauthorized access to Fortinet’s systems. ?? Source

9. Amazon MOVEit Breach

• Records Compromised: Undisclosed
• Impact: Data exposure related to Amazon’s internal operations.
• How it Happened: MOVEit file transfer vulnerability exploited by attackers. ?? Source

Why This Matters:

• Third-party risk is existential.?A single misconfigured file can unravel decades of trust.
• Data minimization saves lives.?Storing unnecessary data amplifies liability.

• MFA isn’t optional.?Snowflake’s post-breach enforcement of MFA highlights this non-negotiable.