Top 10 Cyber Incidents in the History of the Internet

Cyber attacks have been on the rise since the beginning of the Internet. Recently, the Center for Strategic and International Studies reported that Chinese hackers launched a cyber attack against Britain’s Ministry of Defense by attacking third-party contractors to access current and former employees' names and bank details. 

However, the UK’s defence minister stopped short of publicly naming China as the culprit. It has been observed that when cyber attacks happen and breach companies' data, they don’t only affect the company but also customers, suppliers, and people associated with the company. Experts expected that the cost of cybercrime would reach around $10.5 trillion by 2025.

Before discussing the top 10 most dangerous cyber attacks in the history of the Internet, let’s discuss cyber attacks and their types to better understand the damage they can cause to anyone.

What is a cyber attack?

A cyber attack is an unauthorized attempt by anyone to gain access to your computer to steal your data or manipulate your secret information. Cyber-attacks are usually launched by hackers, cyber groups, or governments to target individuals, businesses, and states to get secret information about nuclear programs and critical infrastructure.  

There can be various reasons behind cyber attacks, such as financial gain, by stealing people's secret information, such as credit card numbers. The severe ones are to disrupt operations and cause damages by launching a (DDOS) attack to flood the system with fake traffic.

Let’s discuss the different types of cyber-attacks that can cause damage to you.

Top 10 Notable Cyber Incidents

• The Melissa Virus

The Melissa virus is reported to be the earliest cyber attack, occurring in 1999, by a programmer named David Lee Smith. He activated this virus on others' computers by sending a Microsoft Word file containing the virus. Once the user opens the file, the virus activates and causes severe damage to the user.

Hundreds of companies were affected by the Melissa virus, but Microsoft remains on top. It’s estimated that repairing the affected systems costs around $80 million.

• The 1999 NASA Cyber Attack

In 1999, a 15-year-old computer hacker named Jonathan James caused a 21-day shutdown of NASA computers that supported the International Space Station and invaded a Pentagon weapons computer system to intercept emails, steal passwords, and access like an employee. 

Reportedly, he had downloaded the source code of over 1.7 million applications for the International Space Station and viewed over 3,300 confidential emails from NASA employees. James was eventually arrested and sentenced to 9 months of house arrest and probation due to his heinous crime. 

• The 2007 Estonia Cyber Attack

In 2007, Estonia faced a cyber attack by Russia due to a political disagreement over the relocation of a Soviet war memorial in Tallinn. It was a Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDOS) attack that disrupted the Estonian government, banking, media, and other critical websites by overloading them with “zombie computers,” making them inaccessible for legit users.

During the attack, around 58 Estonian websites were taken offline, resulting in a financial loss of around $1 million.

• The 2011 Sony PlayStation Network Attack

In 2011, hackers launched a cyber attack on Sony’s PlayStation Network (PSN) and stole the personal information of around 77 million users, resulting in $1781 million in costs for Sony and multiple lawsuits against them. 

Due to this attack, Sony shut down the PSN servers for 23 days, and users lost access to online features on their PlayStation 3 and Portable consoles for nearly a month.

• Adobe Cyber Attack

In 2013, Adobe, one of the world’s leading software developers, confirmed that a cyber attack had compromised over 38 million customer accounts, including encrypted passwords, credit card details, and email addresses. Hackers also managed to steal the source code of their popular software products like Photoshop and Acrobat. 

Adobe was fined over $1 million in a multi-state suit over the breach because of its weaknesses in security measures.

• The 2014 Yahoo Attack

In 2014, Yahoo was attacked by a hacking group, resulting in one of the biggest data breaches in history. Approximately 500 million accounts' data, including their names, email addresses, phone numbers, and even security questions and answers, were hacked. 

They initially didn’t disclose the breach to the public until September 2016. Yahoo also faced investigations and a lawsuit that resulted in a fine of $117.5 million during its acquisition by Verizon for failing to disclose the attack to its customers and the relevant authorities. 

• Ukraine Power Grid Attack

In December 2015, a Ukraine power grid attack occurred, resulting in power outages for around 230,000 customers across Ukraine and plunging one-fifth of Kyiv's citizens into darkness. Attackers used malware to target the city's power grid. It was considered to be the first successful power grid attack in history.

• WannaCry Ransomware

It is one of the most destructive attacks in the history of the Internet. It was initiated by a hacker group to exploit a vulnerability in Windows called EnternalBlue. According to an estimate, this attack infected over 230,000 computers across 150 countries, disrupting the operations of hospitals, businesses, and government agencies worldwide.

• Marriot Hotel Data Breach

In 2018, the Marriot hotel group was hit by a cyber attack, resulting in a massive data breach affecting around 500 million guests. This attack compromised guest data, including names, addresses, passport numbers, and credit card information.

• Moveit Zero-Day Attack

In 2023, Progress Software was attacked by hackers with a zero-day vulnerability in its MOVEit Transfer file transfer software.  That resulted in access to MOVEit servers and stealing customer data from the attackers. It was reportedly done by the Clop gang, who have previously targeted multiple government agencies, healthcare providers, and businesses, including British Airways, Boots, and the BBC. 

For example, if you run a chain of IT Businesses across the city with a huge client base and want to educate your employees about how to prevent a potential cyber-attack that can steal your customers’ data, you can get help and guidance from AIChief. It provides updates on AI tools and AI news tailored to your business dynamics for maintaining a secure environment.

Top 5 cyber security tools:

Traceable AI:

This tool focuses on API security, providing deep visibility into API behavior and vulnerabilities. It uses machine learning to monitor traffic patterns and detect anomalies, ensuring that sensitive data remains protected from potential threats.

Salt Security:

Another leader in API protection, Salt Security uses advanced threat detection to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities in APIs. Its platform continuously analyzes traffic and learns from attacks, enabling organizations to secure their applications proactively.

Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR:

An integrated threat detection and response solution, Cortex XDR combines endpoint, network, and cloud data to deliver comprehensive visibility. Its advanced analytics help organizations quickly identify and respond to security incidents.

Splunk:

Renowned for its powerful data analytics capabilities, Splunk serves as a Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) tool. It collects and analyzes vast amounts of data in real time, helping security teams detect threats and respond effectively.

CrowdStrike:

This endpoint protection platform uses cloud-based technology and artificial intelligence to prevent breaches and respond to incidents. Its threat intelligence capabilities allow organizations to stay ahead of evolving cyber threats.

These tools collectively enhance an organization's security posture, addressing various aspects of cyber defence.

Conclusion

These are the top 10 cyber incidents in the history of the Internet, and now you can prevent yourself from these kinds of attacks and save your data from being breached. Also, remember the types of cyber-attacks executed in these famous incidents to mitigate the risks of being attacked by hackers.