Cyberattacks, whether intentional or accidental, have posed a threat since before the creation of the World Wide Web. These attacks target the theft of money, data, or resources and can also serve as instruments for nations seeking a competitive advantage. Each incident reminds businesses of the necessity to bolster their digital security measures and highlights the vital role that security teams play in detecting and mitigating these threats. The following attacks significantly impacted U.S. businesses, organizations, and individuals, and though they were ultimately resolved, their consequences resonated for years to come.
1988: The Morris Worm
What occurred?
The Morris Worm marked a turning point in the understanding of cybersecurity within the early computing industry. In 1988, Cornell University graduate student Robert Tappan Morris released the experimental worm from MIT’s networks, affecting approximately 6,000 of the 60,000 computers connected to the internet at that time. This incident resulted in blocked emails for multiple days and caused slowdowns in military computer systems.
How was it resolved?
Many affected facilities had to completely replace their computer systems, while others spent up to a week resolving the disruptions. Morris later expressed regret over the release, claiming it was a “harmless experiment” resulting from a programming error. This incident transformed the perception of internet-based attacks from theoretical to tangible, making the term “internet” widely recognized, particularly after it appeared in a New York Times article about the event.
1999: The Melissa Virus
What occurred?
The Melissa virus spread through email, luring recipients with attachments promising explicit content. Launched by programmer David Lee Smith in March 1999, it became the first widely recognized email scam. The rapid replication of the virus led to significant overcrowding of email servers.
How was it resolved?
The Melissa incident made users more cautious about unsolicited emails. This and other cyber incidents prompted the FBI to establish its Cyber Division in 2002, soon after Smith was sentenced to prison.
1999: The NASA Hack
What occurred?
Just before the Y2K crisis, 15-year-old Jonathan James infiltrated NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center by installing a backdoor, accessing emails, usernames, and passwords from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency. NASA spent 21 days trying to assess and contain the breach.
How was it resolved?
The government worked to eliminate the backdoor and seal the vulnerabilities in their systems, with the incident incurring an estimated loss of $41,000.
2000: The ILOVEYOU Worm
What occurred?
In 2000, the ILOVEYOU worm, which traveled through emails titled “ILOVEYOU,” wreaked havoc on millions of computers globally, causing roughly $10 billion in damages. It affected large organizations, including Ford and the U.S. Army, by overflowing servers and corrupting files.
How was it resolved?
Security researchers quickly traced the “Love Bug” due to its visible source code in each email, paving the way for countermeasures. The incident raised awareness about the risks of opening unknown emails and highlighted the growing trend of spam using eye-catching subject lines.
2011: PlayStation Network Outage
What occurred?
A hacker compromised the gaming accounts of 77 million users, leading to a shutdown of the PlayStation network. The breach exposed millions of credit card details and resulted in Sony suffering $171 million in losses from profits, legal fees, and customer support.
How was it resolved?
After about a week of intensive recovery efforts, PlayStation Network services were restored. This included a forensic analysis conducted by Sony and external experts to determine the breach’s nature.
2013: Yahoo Attack
What occurred?
This breach exposed the personal information of all 3 billion Yahoo users, although the full extent was only disclosed in 2017. It became the largest hack in history, with the attackers believed to have exploited a forged cookie vulnerability.
How was it resolved?
Yahoo mandated all users to change their passwords and voided unencrypted security questions and answers, eventually settling a class-action lawsuit for $117.5 million.
2014: Sony Pictures Entertainment Hack
What occurred?
In 2014, a group known as the Guardians of Peace demanded a ransom for massive amounts of sensitive data from Sony Pictures, which included unreleased films and private employee information. The attackers also used malware to erase data from corporate systems.
How was it resolved?
The U.S. government attributed the attack to North Korean state-sponsored actors, sparking controversy regarding the involvement of potential insider threats or other foreign actors. Sony experienced another breach in 2023, compromising employee data.
2017: The WannaCry Ransomware Attack
What occurred?
WannaCry affected 300,000 computers across 150 countries, exploiting a vulnerability in Windows SMB protocol. The attack notably disrupted U.K. hospitals, leading to severe service interruptions.
How was it resolved?
Microsoft and CISA released various mitigations, but many organizations had not applied the existing patches on time, making file recovery difficult.
2017: Petya / NotPetya
What occurred?
Petya, significant for its unique approach to ransomware, compromised computer hard drives by encrypting entire drives rather than just individual files. The variant known as NotPetya was particularly notable for being used against Ukraine during sociopolitical conflicts.
How was it resolved?
Governments and organizations launched investigations to trace the attacks, while Microsoft released patches to address the vulnerabilities exploited by both versions of the ransomware.
2017: Equifax Data Breach
What occurred?
The Equifax attack exposed sensitive personal and credit information from hundreds of millions of customers. The breach could have been avoided had security updates been implemented in time.
How was it resolved?
Equifax agreed to a $425 million settlement, and in 2020, the FBI charged four members of the Chinese military in relation to the hack.
2018: Marriott Hotel Data Breach
What occurred?
Millions of accounts were compromised, stemming from a backdoor in the Starwood Hotels Group system prior to its acquisition by Marriott. The breach remained undetected post-acquisition, illustrating vulnerabilities during data migrations.
How was it resolved?
Marriott faced enforcement actions under GDPR, receiving an £18.4 million ($24.1 million) fine for noncompliance. The breach underscored the importance of encryption and careful assessments of acquired systems.
2019: Baltimore Ransomware Attack
What occurred?
This attack was one of many targeting municipalities, disrupting public services and demanding Bitcoin as ransom via the RobbinHood strain of ransomware. It highlighted the modern nature of ransomware as a tool for targeting public infrastructure.
How was it resolved?
The city of Baltimore opted not to pay the ransom and instead sought assistance from external cybersecurity experts, rebuilding their compromised systems with new monitoring tools.
2021: Colonial Pipeline Attack
What occurred?
The ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline emphasized ransomware’s potential impact on critical infrastructure. The company shut down operations in response to the attack, raising concerns around fuel shortages.
How was it resolved?
Colonial Pipeline ultimately paid about $4.4 million in Bitcoin, with law enforcement recovering a portion of the ransom by June 2021.
2023: MoveIT Hack
What occurred?
MoveIT, a file transfer software, faced a series of cyberattacks revealing the data of numerous government customers worldwide, affecting agencies like the U.S. Department of Energy and British Airways.
How was it resolved?
MoveIT documented the vulnerability thoroughly and offered mitigation guidelines. The attack is believed to have originated from a Russia-based ransomware group motivated by profit.
2023: Microsoft Outlook Hack
What occurred?
A security breach exposed email addresses of multiple U.S. government officials, attributing the incident to a Chinese state-sponsored actor. The attack utilized a forged authentication token affecting Outlook Web Access.
How was it resolved?
Microsoft identified and blocked the threat actor, ensuring most users remained unaffected. However, this incident diminished trust between Microsoft and its U.S. government clients, highlighting ongoing security concerns.
