This year only we've noticed attacks
against several institutions such as
HBO, Twitter, and Sony. Recently
Equifax Inc, a consumer credit
scores provider, reported on the 7th
of September that approximately
143 million personal details for U.S
consumers were exposed by hackers
between mid-May and July.
The hackers accessed
files such as names,
social security, and
driver's license
numbers. This
is the largest
hack ever
recorded.
After the
report, Equifax
share price
dropped by
roughly 19%.
It's not only US
consumers' personal
details that were accessed
but also for some UK and Canada
residents. Cyber-attacks are now
a growing concern for all business
stakeholders and the general public.
Earlier this month, a software and
cybersecurity company Symantec
warned that hackers have gained
entry into US and European
Energy companies. The attack can
compromise the National power grids.
The group known as Dragonfly are the
culprit for such cyber-attacks which
started late 2015. Dragonfly has been
laying low since its exposure in 2014.
However, it is believed that they have
resumed with their attacks. Since
April of this year cyber attacks
have gradually increased.
Hackers have
managed to gain
entry in the US,
Switzerland and
Turkey through
malicious
emails.
No one is
safe. It was
only in August
of this year that
a group known
as OurMine hacked
HBO's social media
accounts and leaked a
unwatched season seven episode of
Game of Thrones. This is still a major
blow for the satellite TV network.
However, with technology continuing
to advance, companies are adapting
to create more complex and ingenious
security safeguards to protect their
clients personal information.
ISSUE 103 / 2017
TECHNOLOGY
In this digitalised era, cyber attacks are growing at
a faster rate. Most institutions are concerned about
protecting their networks & systems and rightly so.
16
WHO HACKED YOU?