Biggest Attacks Of 2016 (So Far)
An attack against a Ukraine power grid and major upticks in ransomware dominate the headlines in this Dark Reading mid-year report.
June 10, 2016
![](https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/blt6d90778a997de1cd/blta5470f52f74e53dc/64f0da9418bed8c6e9700a33/01-news.jpeg?width=700&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale)
We're only halfway through 2016 and the security world has already been on a rollercoaster with plenty of attacks, breaches and vulnerability disclosures dominating the headlines. While we haven't yet been struck by any mega breaches of the likes of the OPM breach of last year, there have been some pretty high profile incidents involving targets with real consequence, including national power grid shutdowns and banks being fleeced out of millions. Check out some of the top stories to hit so far this year in Dark Reading's mid-year data breach report.
While the attack itself occurred in December, a major attack against the Ukraine power grid was the talk of Q1, as forensics examiners dug into how a denial of service attack was able to black out Western Ukraine. Security experts say that the attack came after six months of reconnaissance after breaking into the utility's network via a phishing attack.
From Dark Reading: Lessons From The Ukraine Electric Grid Attack
The rise of ransomware has been ongoing for the past few years, but this year has seen a marked uptick in volume and creativity of attacks as the bad guys rake in the cash from victims from all walks of life, including an increasing number of businesses.
From Dark Reading: Ransomware Spikes, Tries New Tricks
Speaking of ransomware, perhaps the most brazen attacks to come this year have been against hospitals. Known to have lesser security than many business organizations and a mission to maintain life-saving system up-time to insure the health of its patients, these organizations are targeted by clever attackers who see a wounded gazelle waiting to be pounced upon. One of the most sensational attacks was against Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital, which paid a whopping $17,000 ransom to regain access to files locked by ransomware.
From Dark Reading: Multiple Hospitals Hit in Ransomware Attack Wave
It's not just attacks and breaches that have been eating up the news cycles in 2016. Perhaps one of the biggest stories of the year so far is the very public feud between the FBI and Apple over encryption back doors, one which has wide-ranging judicial and societal implications.
From Dark Reading: FBI vs. Apple: Privacy Syllabus
Following on the heels of the IRS Get Transcript breach of 2015, IRS tax fraud continued to run its course this tax season with the IRS and security professionals reporting fraudulent accessing of E-File PINS as attackers look for ways to make money off of tax return fraud and other fraudulent schemes.
From Dark Reading: IRS Tax Fraud and Phishing Advances
This year's big breach news didn't have anything to do with large-scale theft of customer records, but instead more disturbing large-scale theft of cold hard cash. The incredible hacking incident that led to an incredible $81 million fraudulent transfer from Bangladesh Bank opened up inquiries into authentication vulnerabilities in the SWIFT financial messaging service provider that may have opened up 11 other banks to similar attacks.
From Dark Reading: SWIFT Proposes New Measures For Bolstering Its Security
The hits keep coming to SSL. The 2016 version of the big named SSL vulnerability is DROWN (Decrypting RSA with Obsolete and Weakened eNcryption), a cross-protocol attack that takes advantage of SSLv2 backwards compatibility to enable attackers to decrypt communications from web or email servers or VPN sessions.
From Dark Reading: SSL 'DROWNs' In Yet Another Security Serious Flaw
The hits keep coming to SSL. The 2016 version of the big named SSL vulnerability is DROWN (Decrypting RSA with Obsolete and Weakened eNcryption), a cross-protocol attack that takes advantage of SSLv2 backwards compatibility to enable attackers to decrypt communications from web or email servers or VPN sessions.
From Dark Reading: SSL 'DROWNs' In Yet Another Security Serious Flaw
We're only halfway through 2016 and the security world has already been on a rollercoaster with plenty of attacks, breaches and vulnerability disclosures dominating the headlines. While we haven't yet been struck by any mega breaches of the likes of the OPM breach of last year, there have been some pretty high profile incidents involving targets with real consequence, including national power grid shutdowns and banks being fleeced out of millions. Check out some of the top stories to hit so far this year in Dark Reading's mid-year data breach report.
About the Author(s)
You May Also Like
CISO Perspectives: How to make AI an Accelerator, Not a Blocker
August 20, 2024Securing Your Cloud Assets
August 27, 2024