"2023's Top Data Breaches: From Pizza Hut to ChatGPT, the Latest Security Incidents Uncovered!"

Data breaches can be devastating for companies, regardless of their size, imagine how the impact is on those individuals whose personal information was exposed.  It’s impossible to imagine how it feels unless you’ve gone through it yourself.

This is why businesses need to be relentless when it comes to protecting customer data. Of course, it's easier said than done with the global economy on the brink of recession and inflation. However, this backdrop further justifies the reason companies need to take cybersecurity seriously.

As technology continues to advance, so do the threats of data breaches. In 2023, several high-profile companies and organizations have already fallen victim to data breaches, exposing sensitive information of their customers and employees. Here are some of the top data breaches that have occurred in 2023 so far:

Pizza Hut/KFC Data Breach (April 10):

Yum! Brands, the parent company of fast food chains Pizza Hut, KFC, and Taco Bell, experienced a data breach due to a ransomware attack that occurred in January. Names, driver's license information, and ID card information of individuals were exposed. An investigation is underway to determine if the stolen information has been used for fraudulent purposes.

MSI Data Breach/Ransomware Attack (April 6):

Computer vendor Micro-Star International (MSI) suffered a data breach caused by a ransomware attack by a group called Money Message. The group claimed to have stolen 1.5TB of information from MSI's systems and demanded a $4 million ransom for the data. The group also stated that they had access to MSI's source code, including the framework to develop BIOS, and private keys to sign custom modules of those BIOS.

Western Digital Data Breach (April 3):

Western Digital reported a data breach in which an unauthorized third party was able to access a number of cloud systems. The full scope of the breach is still unknown, but users of Western Digital products reported being unable to access the cloud features of their devices since the hack was reported. Western Digital is actively working to restore impacted infrastructure and services.

ChatGPT Data Leak (March 24):

A bug found in ChatGPT's open-source library caused the chatbot to leak the personal data of customers, including some credit card information and chat titles. OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, stated that only partial credit card information was exposed and took ChatGPT offline to address the issue.

US House of Representatives Data Breach (March 9):

A healthcare provider based in Washington DC that handles sensitive data of federal legislators and their families experienced a data breach that may have affected up to 170,000 people. The data was put up for sale online, and it is believed that the FBI has purchased it as part of their investigation.

Activision Data Breach (February 21):

Call of Duty maker Activision suffered a data breach in early December 2022, but the breach was only recently revealed to the public. Sensitive employee data and content schedules were exfiltrated from the company's computer systems. The breach occurred due to an employee's credentials being obtained in a phishing attack.

Atlassian Data Breach (February 15):

Australian software company Atlassian experienced a data breach by a hacking group called "SiegedSec." The group claimed to have broken into Atlassian's systems and extracted data related to staff, as well as floor plans for offices in San Francisco and Sydney. The data included names, email addresses, departments of staff, and other employment-related information. Atlassian initially blamed another company, Envoy, but later revealed that the breach occurred due to an Atlassian employee's credentials being mistakenly posted in a public repository.

Reddit Data Breach (February 10):

Social media company Reddit confirmed a data breach that occurred on February 5. The attacker obtained a single employee's credentials and gained access to internal documents, code, dashboards, and business systems. Limited contact information for company contacts, employees (current and former), and advertisers was accessed, but Reddit has no evidence to suggest that non-public data has been accessed or published.

Cybercrimes are at an all-time high. With threat actors constantly finding new methods to infiltrate and exploit organizations, CIOs globally have to take preventive measures to safeguard their organizations. Some of the most common, yet overseen methods, are using complex passwords, regularly updating patches and upgrading software, giving cybersecurity training, using anti-ransomware solutions, and more go a long way in keeping organizations safe. Not only this but employing security solutions that fit best for your enterprise is essential.

Visit our services section to choose solutions to the above problems!