Updated: Nov 30, 2021
A cyber attack is an attempt to gain unauthorized access to a computer, computing system, or computer network with the intent to cause damage. Cyber attacks aim to disable, disrupt, destroy or control computer systems or to alter, block, delete, manipulate or steal the data held within these systems.
Hackers use ransomware, botnet, DDOS, social engineering for attacking computer systems. Here We will see 5 biggest cyber attacks in the world.
Stuxnet is one of 5 biggest cyber attacks in world. Stuxnet is an extremely sophisticated computer worm that exploits multiple previously unknown Windows zero-day vulnerabilities to infect computers and spread. Its purpose was not just to infect PCs but to cause real-world physical effects. Specifically, it targets centrifuges used to produce the enriched uranium that powers nuclear weapons and reactors. It's now widely accepted that Stuxnet was created by the intelligence agencies of the United States and Israel.
2 WannaCry RansomWare Attack
WannaCry is one of 5 biggest cyber attacks in world. WannaCry is a ransomware worm that spread rapidly through a number of computer networks in May of 2017. After infecting a Windows computer, it encrypts files on the PC's hard drive, making them impossible for users to access, then demands a ransom payment in bitcoin in order to decrypt them. The vulnerability WannaCry exploits lie in the Windows implementation of the Server Message Block (SMB) protocol. The SMB protocol helps various nodes on a network communicate, and Microsoft's implementation could be tricked by specially crafted packets into executing arbitrary code.
3 Google China(Operation Aurora)
It was one of the major cyberattack by Chinese Hackers. Despite all the security measures put in place by the biggest internet browser, Google has had its share despite all the security measures put in place by the biggest internet browser, Google has had its share of cyberattacks. In 2009, hackers got access to Google servers in a series of attacks known as Operation Aurora. The intention was to get access to Google’s intellectual property.
4. NASA and US Defense Department Hack
A 15-year-old Jonathan James managed to carry out one of the biggest cyber attack. This cybercrime occurred in 1999 when the hacker was a teenager. James managed to illegally penetrate the computers from the US Department of defense. He installed an illegal ‘backdoor’ on the servers. The hacker intercepted more than three thousand internal e-mails coming from and to the government organization. Some of the e-mails included classified information. These were usernames and passwords for various military computers. James executed his next action with the information he obtained from up to ten computers belonging to the government organization. He used the stolen information to steal software from NASA. The action cost the space exploration agency up to $41,000 after their systems shut down for up to three weeks.
5. SolarWinds Hack
In early 2020, hackers secretly broke into Texas-based SolarWind's systems and added malicious code into the company's software system. The system, called Orion is widely used by companies to manage IT resources. Solarwinds has 33,000 customers that use Orion, according to SEC documents. The code created a backdoor to customer's information technology systems, which hackers then used to install even more malware that helped them spy on companies and organizations. And since the hack was done so stealthily, and went undetected for months, security experts say that some victims may never know if they were hacked or not, the Wall Street Journal reported. Federal investigators and cybersecurity experts say that Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, known as the SVR, is probably responsible for the attack.