5 Major Cyber Attacks So Far In 2021

The pandemic forced the entire world to move online, and one of the consequences of that has been the increase in the number of cyberattacks. The year of 2020 was one of the worst years in terms of money and data loss due to spoof emails, phishing scams, impersonation and other malicious attacks. Looking at the Q1 of 2021, it seems like this year might just top off the previous year’s record.

Listed below is a compilation of the major cyberattacks that were perpetrated in the first quarter of 2021.

1. The SolarWinds Attack

Details of a supply-chain attack emerged in the early weeks of January, affecting the United States government, the UK government,  NATO, and Microsoft. It was revealed to be one of the worst cyberattacks ever faced by organizations in the US. The hacking group, Cozy Bear, was reportedly behind this massive attack. This attack led to organizations strengthening their security standards and the world paying more attention to cybersecurity than ever before.

2. The attack on CoWIN

The Indian Government-backed vaccination platform CoWIN suffered phishing attacks in January 2021. Multiple reports of fake Arogya Setu apps and fake CoWIN apps appeared all over the country, with the attackers trying to steal precious data from millions of Indian residents. These attacks demonstrated the importance of cybersecurity protocols and phone security.

3. Microsoft Server Attack

The notorious ransomware, Hafnium, targeted close to 1500 Microsoft servers using the severely dangerous ransomware called the Black Kingdom. A certain flaw was observed in the Microsoft servers that had been left unpatched. Files were encrypted swiftly, and a ransom of 10000 USD was demanded in exchange for the sensitive data. This attack made it absolutely clear how important patching a flaw or a bug is via regular updates. Regular monitoring of the servers is also necessary to ensure the safety of data and money.

4. The LinkedIn Phishing Scam

One of the world’s major social networks, LinkedIn, faced a massive phishing scam in 2021. The popular social network used by professionals and entrepreneurs faced a data breach that compromised more than 500 million users. The stolen data was available for sale online. The method used to attack LinkedIn was reportedly spear-phishing, wherein attackers were emailing users with fraudulent job offer emails. This was one of the worst cases of spear-phishing in terms of data loss, and it once again stirred up the debate on email security. Email authentication protocols such as DMARC, DKIM, and SPF are of utmost importance to fend off phishing and spoofing attacks.

5. Air India Cyberattack

Air India, a leading airline in India, faced a major data breach in 2021. The data belonging to millions of Air India’s customers were leaked online. Sensitive information such as passport details, ticket information, and credit card details from 2011 to 2021 was compromised. More than 4.5 million customers were said to be affected by this breach.

These attacks have made it pretty clear that robust and efficient cybersecurity standards are the need of the hour for any organization. It is high time that companies invest in email authentication tool and awareness drives to improve the existing situation. It is also advised that systems be regularly updated and equipped with the latest anti-malware systems.