Real-world Web Security Breaches Explained

Key Concepts

1. Equifax Data Breach (2017): A massive data breach that exposed the personal information of 147 million people.
2. Target Data Breach (2013): A breach that compromised the credit card data of 40 million customers.
3. Yahoo Data Breach (2013-2014): A series of breaches that affected all 3 billion user accounts.
4. Marriott International Data Breach (2018): A breach that exposed the personal data of 500 million guests.
5. Facebook Data Breach (2018): A breach that affected 50 million user accounts due to a vulnerability in the "View As" feature.
6. Uber Data Breach (2016): A breach that exposed the data of 57 million users and drivers, which was covered up by the company.
7. Sony Pictures Entertainment Hack (2014): A cyberattack that led to the leak of unreleased movies and sensitive employee data.
8. Heartbleed Bug (2014): A critical vulnerability in OpenSSL that could expose sensitive data.

Detailed Explanation

Equifax Data Breach (2017)

The Equifax data breach occurred when attackers exploited a vulnerability in a web application to gain access to sensitive personal information, including Social Security numbers, birth dates, and addresses of 147 million people. The breach was caused by the failure to patch a known vulnerability in the Apache Struts framework.

Example: Equifax's failure to apply a security patch allowed attackers to access their database, leading to one of the largest data breaches in history.

Analogy: Think of Equifax as a bank with a broken lock on its vault. Attackers exploited the broken lock to steal valuable assets (personal data).

Target Data Breach (2013)

The Target data breach involved attackers gaining access to the company's point-of-sale system, leading to the theft of credit card data from 40 million customers. The breach was initiated through a third-party vendor that had access to Target's network.

Example: Attackers used malware to capture credit card data as it was being processed at Target stores.

Analogy: Consider Target as a store with a security flaw in its checkout system. Attackers exploited this flaw to steal customers' payment information.

Yahoo Data Breach (2013-2014)

The Yahoo data breaches were a series of incidents where attackers gained access to all 3 billion user accounts. The breaches exposed personal information, including email addresses, passwords, and security questions.

Example: Yahoo's failure to secure its user accounts allowed attackers to steal vast amounts of personal data.

Analogy: Think of Yahoo as a large warehouse with unlocked doors. Attackers entered the warehouse and stole valuable items (user data) from every room.

Marriott International Data Breach (2018)

The Marriott data breach involved attackers gaining access to the Starwood guest reservation database, exposing the personal data of 500 million guests. The breach was caused by a vulnerability that had been exploited for several years.

Example: Marriott's failure to detect the long-term intrusion allowed attackers to collect extensive guest data.

Analogy: Consider Marriott as a hotel with a hidden entrance. Attackers used this entrance to access guest records over an extended period.

Facebook Data Breach (2018)

The Facebook data breach occurred when attackers exploited a vulnerability in the "View As" feature to gain access to 50 million user accounts. The breach allowed attackers to steal access tokens that could be used to take over user accounts.

Example: Facebook's failure to secure the "View As" feature led to unauthorized access to user accounts.

Analogy: Think of Facebook as a social club with a faulty guest list system. Attackers exploited this system to gain entry to members' private information.

Uber Data Breach (2016)

The Uber data breach involved attackers gaining access to the personal data of 57 million users and drivers. The breach was covered up by the company, which paid the attackers $100,000 to delete the data and keep quiet.

Example: Uber's decision to pay the attackers and not disclose the breach led to significant legal and reputational damage.

Analogy: Consider Uber as a ride-sharing service with a hidden leak in its customer database. The company tried to fix the leak quietly, but the damage was already done.

Sony Pictures Entertainment Hack (2014)

The Sony Pictures Entertainment hack was a cyberattack that led to the leak of unreleased movies, employee emails, and sensitive personal data. The attack was attributed to North Korean hackers in retaliation for the movie "The Interview."

Example: The hackers used a combination of malware and social engineering to gain access to Sony's internal network.

Analogy: Think of Sony Pictures as a movie studio with a security breach. Attackers stole unfinished films and behind-the-scenes secrets.

Heartbleed Bug (2014)

The Heartbleed bug was a critical vulnerability in the OpenSSL cryptographic software library. The bug allowed attackers to read the memory of systems protected by the vulnerable versions of OpenSSL, potentially exposing sensitive data such as passwords and encryption keys.

Example: The Heartbleed bug affected a large number of websites and services, requiring extensive patching and remediation.

Analogy: Consider Heartbleed as a widespread disease that weakened the security defenses of many systems. Attackers exploited this weakness to steal sensitive information.