In this age of constant cyber threats, thereโs nothing more terrifying for a business than a data breach that results in lost customer records. While there are certainly many more, below are five data breaches that resulted in billions of sensitive information such as social security numbers and credit card numbers being compromised.
Yahoo โ 3 Billion Users Affected
In 2014, Yahoo announced a data breach that resulted in at least 3 billion stolen user accounts! According to Yahoo, the cybercriminals obtained account information including names, birth dates, phones, and passwords. Not only that, but hackers were able to obtain private security questions and even backup email addresses listed within an account. With all of this information, cybercriminals would be able to hack plenty of other accounts, not just Yahoo.
Facebook โ 540 Million Accounts Exposed
In 2019, According to cyber security firm, UpGuard, a Mexico-based media company exposed over 146 gigabytes of Facebook user data that included account names, IDs, in addition to comment and reaction history.
Around the same time, a backup file from a third-party Facebook app was exposed to the public that included account and password information for 22,000 users.
LinkedIn โ 167 Million Accounts
Following a data breach in 2012 that saw 6.5 million passwords exposed, LinkedIn revealed in 2016 that the same hackers eventually obtained the account information for over 167 million accounts!
Following the data breach, LinkedIn was forced to pay a $1.25 million settlement to individuals that had purchased LinkedIn premium.
First American Financial Corp. โ 885 Million Records
Even though it was never confirmed that hackers obtained the information, First American Financial Corp. had 885 million records filled with social security numbers, bank accounts, tax documents, and more exposed dating all the way back to 2013.
First American Financial Corp. became aware of a design defect that allowed unauthorized users to access customer data.
Marriott International โ 500 Million Records
In 2019, Marriott announced a data breach that targeted its reservation system and access the personal information of hundreds of millions of guests dating since 2014. Hackers were able to access passwords, passport numbers, and debit or credit card numbers.
It is believed the breach was the result of a Chinese intelligence-gathering effort.
