10 Notorious Cyber Attacks Up To The Year 2015
There have been several notorious cyber attacks in the meantime. But for starters, we’d like to pull out some well-known hacks from the past. These are the most interesting in our eyes for the period of 2015:
1.Cyberattack on Sony Pictures
The cyberattack on global television, film and studio company Sony Pictures was the most serious attack on a US target, according to US intelligence agencies. In 2014, the company was hacked by North Korea. As yet unpublished films and sensitive information were leaked.
The North Korean government was angry over a film released by Sony Pictures in which actors James Franco and Seth Rogan get entangled in a CIA plan to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. According to Pyongyang, this went too far and they have threatened to severely punish the makers of the film. After this statement, Sony decided to initially cancel the film ‘The Interview’, but the film was later released.
Obama decided early this year to impose sanctions for the hack. Americans are hereby banned from doing business with a number of North Korean companies and government officials.
2. Sony’s Playstation Network (PSN)
Date: April 20, 2011. Impact: 77 million Playstation network accounts hacked. This cost the company $171 million because the service was off the air for a month.
This is the biggest gaming community hack ever. More than 77 million accounts were hacked, 12 million of which were unencrypted credit card details linked to these accounts. Hackers learned full names, passwords, email addresses, home addresses, purchase history, credit card numbers and login details.
“The average security officer might wonder how this is handled at other large companies when Sony is such a mess,” said John Linkous, of elQnetworks. “Be careful who you give your data to, it might not be worth it for some online games.”
Sony settled for $15 million in a class action lawsuit.
3. Anonymous declares war on IS
Anonymous is an international group of people working together from activists who hack online. They carry out DDoS attacks on government websites, religious organizations and companies, among other things. DDoS attacks are attempts to make a computer, computer network or service unusable for the intended user.
Since 2011, there has been a civil war in Syria with the group IS. Anonymous plays a role in this war, as this hacker club fights ISIS on the internet. Since this year (2015), the attacks have intensified due to the attack on Charlie Hebdo and the terrorist attack in Paris in November this year.
To prevent power plants, control towers and hospitals from becoming targets of digital attacks by IS, Anonymous goes on the attack. They have started publishing hundreds of twitter accounts of IS sympathizers and jihadists. In this way they want to prevent cyberterrorism from increasing.
According to the hacker group, this is the largest operation ever. They captioned the published accounts with ‘We are Anonymous, we do not forgive, we do not forget, expect us.’
4. Impact Team hacks Ashley Madison
In the summer of 2015, the hacker group Impact Team hacked into the dating website Ashley Madison. In this hack, the hacker group obtained a large amount of customer data. Data from no fewer than 37 million users was stolen.
Ashley Madison, founded in 2001, helps users cheat. For women, Ashley Madison is free to use, but male members must purchase credits to start conversations. Personal data of these male members had been leaked.
Impact Team demanded that the website be taken offline and wanted to demonstrate that an account will not be deleted if a user indicates that they want to use it. Because the website was not taken offline, the hacker group distributed a large part of the customer data on the internet. As a result, subscribers filed a lawsuit against Ashley Madison for failing to protect their personal data.
5. Hackers make smart use of Fault ING
Hackers make clever use of the situation when ING is confronted with a malfunction. The previous outage related to the mobile ING App and Mijn ING. ING customers were unable to use the services the bank has to offer for hours.
Hackers have been smart enough to capitalize on ING’s problems. During the outage, the hackers had sent a fake ING email stating that ING had switched to a more secure system to prevent financial problems in the future. This email also contained a link that, after clicking, was redirected to a phishing website. When the customer ends up on this phishing website, it is almost indistinguishable from the real ING website. This website therefore resembles the original ING website, but is used to obtain login details, account numbers, card numbers and other (personal) information.
6. Hackers group robs 34 million euros from credit cards
In 2013, the largest credit card theft ever took place in the United States. In a few hours, a gang of cyber hackers managed to loot 34 million euros. For this, two credit card processors were hacked, which processed payments for the National Bank of Ras Al Khaimah and for the Bank of Muscat.
That it was a very professional group of hackers was apparent from the precision with which the gang worked. First, the spending limit of hundreds of credit cards was increased. Credit cards suddenly had a limit of 200 thousand or 2 million dollars, instead of 200 dollars. After this action, very well-timed operations were carried out, with cashiers in 24 different countries able to withdraw money. It took 36 thousand transactions to steal the amount of more than 34 million euros.
7. NSA hacks simcards
Gemalto, one of the world’s largest SIM card manufacturers, was hacked by the NSA in early 2015. The NSA is an American secret service. This service is specialized in collecting, eavesdropping and analyzing electronic information from communication via telephone, internet and deciphering via cryptoanalysis.
Because the NSA has hacked Gemalto, they can intercept telephone traffic much more easily. This is an invasion of the privacy of users of these providers. The Dutch telecom providers that use these SIM cards are: KPN, T-Mobile and Vodafone.
Not just intercepting phone traffic, the NSA also installed espionage software on Gemalto’s computer network. Clarity and clarification on this matter are still a mystery.
8. Anonymous hacks into KKK and releases personal information
One of the best-known hacks by the hacking group ‘Anonymous’ dates from November 2015. This hacking action hacks the world’s largest and best-known racist organization against ‘black’ people and personal data is published.
Anonymous calls this hacking action ‘Operation KKK’. In this operation, the names and telephone numbers of members are published on the twitter account of Anonymous. Among the members are many famous people, such as a number of mayors of major American cities and several senators.
The fact that Anonymous wants to make the members of the Ku Klux Klan known has to do with threats from the KKK towards Anonymous. In November 2014, members of Anonymous were threatened by the KKK when they demonstrated against decisions not to prosecute the officer who shot a black boy in Ferguson.
9. Celebrity naked pictures leaked
Another infamous hack that took place in the summer of 2014 is the one in which nude photos of at least 17 famous women were spread across the internet. The perpetrator ‘OriginalGuy’ claims to have taken the photos from Apple’s iCloud database.
Because so many celebrities were involved, the internet exploded. The photos were distributed on various websites, such as 4chan and Reddit. This led to a discussion about how the hack could have taken place and whether it was real.
Some celebrities denied that their nude photo was involved, claiming that the bodies were taped under the heads. However, there were a number of women who did not deny the photos, including Jennifer Lawrence.
10. App Store infected by Xcode malware
In September 2015, the first large-scale hack of the App Store, Apple’s download store for iPads and iPhones, took place. Hackers managed to smuggle in their malware. This code is used to, among other things, disrupt computer systems and collect sensitive information.
In particular, apps widely used in China were infected with the malware. According to an American security company, 39 infected apps were involved, but Chinese researchers counted 344. These included apps such as internet banking, instant messaging and stock trading. The hackers wanted to steal users’ passwords through the compromised apps.
The ‘always safe’ IOS is therefore still vulnerable, with the result that Apple has to remove dozens of apps from the web store that can obtain sensitive information from users.
Sources
Nu.nl (2015) Obama legt Noord-Korea nieuwe sancties op om cyberaanval Sony. Geraadpleegd op 14 december 2015, van: http://www.nu.nl/internet/3965814/obama-legt-noord-korea-nieuwe-sancties-cyberaanval-sony.html
NRC. (2015) Cyberaanval Sony was ernstigste tot nu toe tegen Amerikaanse doelwit. Geraadpleegd op 14 december 2015, van: http://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2015/01/07/cyberaanval-sony-was-ernstigste-tot-nu-toe-tegen-amerikaanse-doelwit
Volkskrant. (2015) FBI onderzoekt cyberaanval op Sony. Geraadpleegd op 14 december 2015, van: http://www.volkskrant.nl/film/-fbi-onderzoekt-cyberaanval-op-sony~a3802207/
Nu.nl (2014) Grootste verzameling internetdata ooit ontdekt. Geraadpleegd op 14 december 2015, van: http://www.nu.nl/buitenland/3845614/grootste-verzameling-gestolen-internetdata-ooit-ontdekt.html
Nu.nl (2014) 5600 Nederlandse sites getroffen in de grootste hack ooit. Geraadpleegd op 14 december 2015, van: http://www.nu.nl/internet/3902222/5600-nederlandse-sites-getroffen-in-grootste-hack-ooit.html
Wijkstra, J. (2014) Naaktfoto’s van tientallen beroemdheden op straat door iCloud hack. Geraadpleegd op 14 december 2015, van: http://www.automatiseringgids.nl/nieuws/2014/36/naaktfotos-van-tientallen-beroemdheden-op-straat-door-icloud-hack
Cook, J. (2014) ‘OrigingalGuy’: The full story of the iCloud hacker who leaked naked celebrity photos. Geraadpleegd op 14 december 2015, van: http://uk.businessinsider.com/originalguy-the-icloud-hacker-who-leaked-naked-celebrity-photos-2014-9?r=US&IR=T
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Schellevis, J. (2015, 2 20). Nieuws . Geraadpleegd op Tweakers: http://tweakers.net/nieuws/101502/nederlandse-providers-doen-onderzoek-naar-nsa-hack-simkaarten.html
Eissens, Chris. (2014, september 29). Phising hackers maken gebruik van ING Storing. Bron: http://www.androidics.nl/nieuws/13533/phishing-hackers-maken-gebruik-van-ing-storing/
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Security (2015), Abonnees eisen 500 miljoen euro van Ashley Madison. Geraadpleegd op 15 december 2015, van: https://www.security.nl/posting/440800/Abonnees+eisen+500+miljoen+euro+van+Ashley+Madison
Bndestem (2015), Vreemdgangerssite Ashley Madison gehackt: gegevens en voorkeuren van 72 Brabantse leden op straat. Geraadpleegd op 15 december 2015, van: http://www.bndestem.nl/regio/roosendaal/wouw/vreemdgangerssite-ashley-madison-gehackt-gegevens-en-voorkeuren-72-brabantse-leden-op-straat-1.5171644
Tweakers (2015), Hackers zetten gebruikersinfo ‘vreemdgaan’-site online. Geraadpleegd op 15 december 2015, van: http://tweakers.net/nieuws/104308/hackers-zetten-gebruikersinfo-vreemdgaan-site-online.html
Nu.nl (2015), Hackers verspreiden meer klantdata vreemdgangerssite. Geraadpleegd op 15 december 2015, van: http://www.nu.nl/internet/4108822/hackers-verspreiden-meer-klantdata-vreemdgangerssite.html
Tweakers (2013), Hackers stelen 45 miljoen euro van twee banken. Geraadpleegd op 15 december 2015, van:
http://tweakers.net/nieuws/89001/hackers-stelen-45-miljoen-dollar-van-twee-banken.html
Rtlnieuws (2013), Geraffineerde bende rooft 34 miljoen van creditcards. Geraadpleegd op 15 december 2015, van:
http://www.rtlnieuws.nl/nieuws/buitenland/geraffineerde-bende-rooft-34-miljoen-van-creditcards
AD (2013), Grootste ‘bankoverval’ van de 21ste eeuw: buit 34 miljoen. Geraadpleegd op 15 december 2015, van:
http://www.ad.nl/ad/nl/5595/Digitaal/article/detail/3439020/2013/05/10/Grootste-bankoverval-van-de-21ste-eeuw-buit-34-miljoen.dhtml
Volkskrant (2015), Apple geeft enorme hack App Store toe. Geraadpleegd op 15 december 2015, van: http://www.volkskrant.nl/tech/apple-geeft-enorme-hack-app-store-toe~a4146431/
De Tijd (2015), Opletten voor besmette apps op iPhone en iPad. Geraadpleegd op 15 december 2015, van:http://www.tijd.be/ondernemen/technologie/Opletten_voor_besmette_apps_op_iPhone_en_iPad.9677772-7764.art
Tweakers (2015), App Store bevatte tientallen geïnfecteerde apps door Xcode-malware. Geraadpleegd op 15 december 2015, van: http://tweakers.net/nieuws/105368/app-store-bevatte-tientallen-geinfecteerde-apps-door-xcode-malware.html
NRC (2015), IOS niet langer bastion van veiligheid: grote hack van App Store. Geraadpleegd op 15 december 2015, van: http://www.nrc.nl/handelsblad/2015/09/21/apple-ios-niet-langer-bastion-van-veiligheid-gro-1538637
