As we delve into 2024, it’s disheartening to note that the technology sector has endured yet another year marred by severe data breaches.

Despite previous lessons, many corporations have once again displayed a troubling lack of accountability and foresight. Here’s a recap of the year's most egregious breaches, revealing not only failures in security protocols but also companies' questionable responses.

23andMe Faces Backlash After Massive Breach

Genetic testing titan 23andMe suffered a catastrophic data breach, compromising the genetic and ancestry data of approximately 7 million customers.

Hackers exploited vulnerabilities via brute-force attacks, gaining access to accounts that could have been safeguarded with multi-factor authentication—an option 23andMe only belatedly introduced.

Instead of owning up to the lapse in security, the company infamously shifted the responsibility onto its users, claiming they had not adequately protected their accounts—a move that lawyers deemed “nonsensical.” This breach prompted investigations by U.K. and Canadian authorities, and the company later cut 40% of its workforce as its financial stability came into question.

Change Healthcare: A Messy Response to a Major Attack

Change Healthcare, a critical player in U.S. healthcare technology, was brought to its knees by a cyberattack in February.

The incident caused widespread disruptions, preventing patients from accessing essential medications and leading to financial turmoil for healthcare providers reliant on Change for billing and insurance processing.

Despite the chaos, Change took months to confirm that over 100 million people had their private health information stolen—marking one of the biggest healthcare data breaches in history.

The company controversially paid $22 million in ransom, reinforcing the alarming trend of capitulating to cybercriminals.

Synnovis Hit Hard by Ransomware Attack

The U.K.'s healthcare services faced severe disruptions after Synnovis, a London-based pathology service provider, fell victim to a ransomware attack in June, claimed by the Qilin group.

For over three months, patients were denied essential blood tests, leading to the cancellation of thousands of outpatient appointments and surgeries.

The event sparked outrage not only for its immediate impacts on patient care but also because experts revealed it could have been preventable with basic security measures like two-factor authentication.

In response, Union officials have scheduled strikes to protest deteriorating work conditions for Synnovis staff who have contended with the fallout.

Snowflake's Customers Bear the Brunt of Security Gaps

Cloud computing provider Snowflake faced massive, coordinated attacks that compromised data across numerous high-profile clients, including AT&T and Santander Bank.

Hackers leveraged stolen login credentials from insecure employee devices, exploiting Snowflake's inadequate security protocols.

Following a significant backlash, Snowflake pledged to implement multi-factor authentication as a default security measure.

However, the damage was done, with countless customer data exposed.

Columbus, Ohio's Controversial Move Against a Researcher

In an unusual twist, the city of Columbus sued a security researcher for disclosing that the city’s data was indeed compromised during a cyberattack.

While officials assured the public that stolen data was “either encrypted or corrupted,” the researcher revealed alarming findings indicating that sensitive information from at least 500,000 residents was vulnerable.

The city attempted to silence the researcher through legal action, but eventually dropped the lawsuit, spotlighting the need for transparency in data breach reporting.

Salt Typhoon Exploits U.S. Backdoor Laws

On a more alarming note, hackers from the Chinese-backed group known as Salt Typhoon gained unauthorized access to the networks of multiple U.S. telecommunications providers.

This breach highlighted vulnerabilities inherent in the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA), which requires phone companies to enable wiretapping capabilities.

As a result, sensitive communications of notable U.S. officials, including politicians, were exposed, prompting government advisories for citizens to use end-to-end encrypted messaging solutions.

MoneyGram’s Data Breach: A Communication Breakdown

MoneyGram, a leading money transfer service, confirmed a significant cyberattack in September that left customers scrambling for clarity.

Initial communications were vague, only acknowledging a “cybersecurity issue” amidst reports of account outages.

It was eventually revealed that customer data, including Social Security numbers and transaction history, had been stolen.

Yet, the company has not disclosed how many individuals were affected, raising concerns over their responsibility to keep customers informed.

Hot Topic’s Silent Data Disaster

One of the year’s largest retail data breaches occurred in October when it was revealed that 57 million customer records from Hot Topic were compromised.

Shockingly, the retailer failed to publicly acknowledge the breach or notify affected customers, despite the extensive nature of the data involved.

Even after multiple attempts to solicit a comment from the company, there was no response, leaving consumers in the dark about the security of their personal information.

In summary, 2024 has been a sobering reminder of the continuing epidemic of data breaches that plague both the tech industry and sectors reliant on digital security.

As we advance, it becomes increasingly imperative for companies to adopt stronger safeguards and to prioritize transparency in their operations. Failure to do so could harbor dire consequences in an ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape.