Security breaches happen every second, even now while you are reading this article. Going paranoid over security concerns is completely justified. Nothing is safe, speaking honestly. Cybercrime has utterly defeated the drugs trafficking business speaking in terms of profits. Any server, or website, can be hacked.
Setting aside the trends of opting for a Cheap Dedicated Server, USA today is seen migrating to a more secure and professional hosting, which seems to be a genuine step towards safeguarding data.
This article compiles some of the worst, or ‘best’ in terms of cyber-attackers, cyber-attacks in US’s history.
The earliest known hacking dates back to late 1800 when ‘hacker’ was not even coined. The first major hacking came in the year 1971 by a Vietnam veteran named John Draper. John devised a way to make free phone calls, which was later termed as “phreaking”. Though this attack did not cause as much damage as the below-listed attacks, it marked the beginning of a new threat to data security.
The 2013 & 2014 Attacks on Yahoo
This attack dates back to days when Yahoo was one of the biggest internet giants. Yahoo’s business had once been valued at around $ 100 billion. The 2013 attack on yahoo is perhaps the biggest attack ever in terms of the number of users whose information was compromised.
Yahoo, reportedly, compromised data of almost all, then 3 billion, users in one breach. The attackers got hold of info like username, password, date of birth, and in some cases even security questions.
Yahoo, whose remains are now run by the name Altaba, sold its internet business to Verizon eventually; for a small fraction of what it was valued once.
At the crunch of negotiations with Verizon, which now acquires its internet business, Yahoo disclosed that in 2014 it became a victim of yet another attack. Though there are no exact figures that present the actual number of accounts that were compromised, but yahoo claims as many as 500 million users’ data was breached.
The attacks on Yahoo remains one of the worst in the history of not the only US but the world till date.
More Read: Laptop Data Recovery Sofware To REcover Deleted Files FRom Computer.
Marriott- Starwood Breach
A key pioneer in the brand of hospitality, Marriott, has also had its share of disgrace that it owes to a security breach. Data of as many as half-a-billion clients had been stolen from Marriott’s database.
The attack resulted from Marriott getting hold of Starwood hotel brand. The hackers that crept into Starwood’s system remained in it even after Marriott acquired Starwood. The attackers were able to slip into Marriott’s servers and got control of its reservation system. The hackers, reportedly, got access to contact info, passport number, preferred guest number, and other personal information.
Marriott reports that the credit card numbers could also have been compromised but whether or not they (attackers) were able to decrypt the data is unclear.
What’s clear, substantially, is that a massive byte was stolen from the server and the same could have led to something more catastrophic had the attackers been able to decrypt credit-data successfully.
Attack on Auction-giant eBay
From pin to a plane, everything can be auctioned on eBay. The same year- 2014- that Marriott and Yahoo were breached, eBay’s server was compromised.
This attack exposed usernames and passwords and resulted in an overall decline in the activity on this auctioning platform. The attack did little impact as eBay reported an overall increase in sales and operating profit despite the attack.
User Data Open for Download- Facebook
One of the most dominant social media platforms, Facebook has faced criticism on the unauthorized way in which it stores and monitors ultra-sensitive data (including messages) of its users. Two third-party app developers for Facebook were found to have stored data on Amazon’s server. What’s worse was the data was publicly available for download.
Need To Choose a More Secured Dedicated Server
It’s no rocket science that data, however, secured, can be hacked. Many organizations, feared with proliferating cyber-attacks, have started to migrate to a more secure dedicated server. If files as secured as the Pentagon’s & NASA’s can be breached, yours can be done within a snap, even with a dedicated server. It’s no truth that dedicated servers can zero down the threats. The threats can be reduced to a bare minimum, dubiously, but the possibility of an attack can never be entirely expelled.
There is a very fine line between a ‘secured’ and a ‘less secured server’ and in cases, we have noticed that the two have differed with only a few lines of additional codes.
Even if you keep your scripts updated and for an instance assume your script is ‘uncrackable’, there still remains the possibility of a breach from your host.
As a developing business, you should always choose to buy from a more professional hosting service provider rather than buying a bargain hosting plan from unknown providers. There is a lot of Cheap Dedicated Server Hosting in the USA. Besides, choose a host that implements the Intrusion Protection System that analyses incoming traffic right at the source and only allows genuine traffic. Buying from a known professional, like us, ensures you get the best of firewall and perimeter protection against malware. Additionally, you will get a better Intrusion Protection System implementation for your server.
