Data breaches aren’t a new occurrence and have been appearing increasingly over the past few years. In this article, we’re going to provide you with insight into the three most high-profile data breaches you should follow in 2022.
Data breaches can happen for a number of reasons, from insiders intentionally releasing information, whilst others accidentally through human error. Data breaches can also occur through lost or stolen devices/documentation, or through malicious cyber attackers who use methods such as phishing, brute force attacks and malware.
Claiming compensation for a data breach is important because being a victim of a data breach can have significant implications on your life, from financial loss to increased stress levels. It’s crucial to be aware of what data breaches are, how they can happen and how you can protect your data from being leaked or stolen.
So that you are aware of the current data breach affairs, we’ve developed a list of the three most high-profile data breaches to follow in 2022. Keep reading to find out more.
What is a Data Breach?
A data breach exposes sensitive and confidential data to a person or group who are not authorised to view or know the data. Private sensitive and personal data can consist of anything from bank account details to medical information.
Businesses and organisations have a responsibility to protect an individual’s personal information, and the guidelines to do this are set out under the Data Protection Act 2018.
Data breaches are progressively becoming more frequent, with research conducted by a Hiscox study suggesting that every 19 seconds, a small business is hacked in the UK.
What High Profile Data Breaches Should You Follow in 2022
1. Crypto.com see $30 million stolen from customers
One of the most recent and significant data breaches was by the cryptocurrency exchange, Crypto.com, the fourth largest in the world. Originally the breach was downplayed by the company, claiming it was “an incident” and that no user’s funds had been stolen in the attack.
It has since been confirmed that the breach resulted in 483 users having cryptocurrency stolen from their wallets. The hackers responsible stole 4,836.26 ETH, equivalent to $15 million, 443.93 BTC, equivalent to $18 million, and $66,200 from other cryptocurrencies.
The company confirmed that they had resolved the cyber-attack by fully reimbursing the affected user’s loss of funds.
2. Personal details concerning more than half a million highly vulnerable people stolen
The humanitarian organisation, International Red Cross (ICRC), based in Geneva, was involved in a cyber-attack. During the attack, hackers stole around 515,000 personal details of vulnerable persons, many of whom had fled from war torn countries or as detainees around the world.
Whilst it is not yet known who stole the data, nothing has been leaked. The Director-General of the ICRC, Robert Mardini, said the hack has put vulnerable people at greater risk than they already are.
The data was stolen from more than 60 Red Cross and Red Crescent national societies, based all around the world. The hackers targeted the external company the ICRC use to store their data.
To prevent the attack from escalating further, the ICRC had to shut down its system, which reunites those who had been separated due to war.
For further information about this data breach and to keep in the loop, see the article reported by BBC.
3. Harbour Plaza Hotel see 1.2 million customer’s data leaked
Another one of 2022’s so far noteworthy data breaches to occur is the data leak incident that Harbour Plaza Hotel experienced at the start of February. The hotel group has luxury hotels across Hong Kong and China. The breach affected 1.2 million individuals that had previously stayed with the company.
There are not currently details as to exactly what data was stolen during the leak or how it happened. That said, the company revealed that it was likely names, email addresses, contact numbers, and stay details that were compromised during the incident.
The hotel group are currently using a third-party cybersecurity forensics team to investigate into the matter. They have further revealed their security will be tightened to prevent potential future attacks from happening.
Don’t Become a Data Breach Victim
So far, we are just over two months into 2022 and already facing a high number of data breaches across the world. With the current affairs occurring between Ukraine and Russia, it’s likely that there may be an increase in the amount of cyber attacks that happen in the next couple of months.
What we can determine from this article is that protecting your data is extremely crucial. Without doing so, you have the potential to end up being an affected individual of the next data breach that occurs. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
Do you recognise any of these companies? How do you protect your data? Let us know in the comment box below.
Biswajit Rajwar
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