Cyber attacks can have crippling effects, as seen by the multiple major ransomware attacks and data breaches earlier this year that targeted a mix of industries. In April, the largest fuel pipeline in the United States was shut down, leading to major gas shortages after attackers accessed Colonial Pipeline Co.’s network through a single compromised password.
The Tokyo Olympics was heavily criticized for its data breach, which leaked the personal information of volunteers and ticket holders despite multiple warnings in advance. Businesses in the financial sector are often targeted due to the amount of information that can be accessed from one compromised account. Capital One suffered a massive breach in 2019 when customer records, including social security numbers for more than 100 million customers and credit applicants, were accessed by an attacker after exploiting their firewall. Overall, from the beginning of the pandemic to May 2021, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center received one million complaints, a milestone that originally took seven years to reach.
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