9 Costliest Data Breaches Of All Time

Cybersecurity is a major concern for businesses and individuals alike in this digital age. With cyber attacks growing in complexity and frequency, it's no wonder that data breaches are making the headlines more often than ever before. Read on to find out about the most expensive data breaches of all time - you might be surprised by how much they cost!

Equifax Data Breach

Yahoo! Data Breach

T-Mobile Data Breach

Target Corporation Data Breach

Sony Pictures Entertainment Data Breach

Anthem Insurance Company Data Breach

JP Morgan Chase & Co. Data Breach

Wells Fargo Computer Security Incident

Ashley Madison Data Breach

Equifax Data Breach

In September of 2017, Equifax, one of the three major credit reporting agencies, announced a data breach that affected over 143 million consumers. Hackers accessed sensitive information like Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses, and driver’s license numbers.

This breach had far-reaching consequences for those affected. In addition to the obvious risk of identity theft, the Equifax breach also resulted in lawsuits and investigations by state attorneys general, the Federal Trade Commission, and Congress. The company was fined $650 million by the FTC.

Equifax is not the only company to suffer a costly data breach. In recent years, we have seen breaches at Yahoo (estimated cost: $350 million), Target (estimated cost: $162 million), Anthem (estimated cost: $115 million), and many others. As our reliance on technology grows, so does the risk of data breaches. These companies have all faced significant financial consequences as a result of their data breaches, and it is likely that we will see more costly breaches in the future.

Yahoo! Data Breach

In September of 2016, Yahoo! announced that a data breach had occurred, affecting 500 million user accounts. The stolen data included names, email addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, hashed pass-words, and in some cases, encrypted or unencrypted security questions and answers. This breach was the largest known security breach of a single online service provider.

T-Mobile Data Breach

T-Mobile reported a data breach in August of 2020 that affected more than 150 million people. The personal information that was exposed included names, addresses, birthdates, Social Security numbers, and driver’s license numbers. T-Mobile has offered two years of free credit monitoring and identity theft protection to those affected by the data breach.

The cost of the T-Mobile data breach is still unknown, but it is expected to be one of the most costly data breaches of all time.

Target Corporation Data Breach

In 2013, Target Corporation suffered one of the largest data breaches in history. The breach exposed the personal information of over 110 million people, including their names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses. In addition, the credit and debit card information of 40 million people was also exposed. The total cost of the breach was estimated to be over $300 million.

Sony Pictures Entertainment Data Breach

In late November of 2014, Sony Pictures Entertainment was the victim of a devastating data breach that exposed a large amount of sensitive information. The attackers gained access to over 100 terabytes of data, including employee Social Security numbers, salary information, and internal company communications.

The incident had a major financial impact on Sony, resulting in the loss of over $100 million. In addition, the breach damaged the company's reputation and led to the departure of several high-level executives.

Anthem Insurance Company Data Breach

In February 2015, Anthem Insurance Company suffered a data breach that resulted in the theft of over 78 million records. The hackers gained access to Anthem's systems through a phishing attack that targeted one of their employees. Once inside, the hackers were able to gain access to Anthem's customer database which contained sensitive information such as names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and addresses.

This massive data breach had devastating consequences for Anthem and its customers. The company had to spend millions of dollars in order to investigate the breach and notify affected individuals. In addition, Anthem faced numerous lawsuits from customers who claimed that the company failed to adequately protect their personal information.

The Anthem data breach is one of the largest and most costly breaches in history. It serves as a reminder of the importance of data security and the need for companies to take measures to protect their customers' information.

JP Morgan Chase & Co. Data Breach

In 2014, JP Morgan Chase & Co. was the victim of one of the largest data breaches in history. The hackers accessed the personal information of 76 million households and 7 million small businesses. The total cost of the breach was estimated to be $1 billion.

JP Morgan Chase & Co. is one of the largest financial institutions in the world. Consequently, their data breach had far-reaching consequences. The hackers gained access to customer names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses. They also obtained customer credit card and debit card numbers, as well as bank account information.

The total cost of the JP Morgan Chase & Co. data breach was estimated to be $1 billion. This includes the cost of investigating and responding to the breach, as well as compensating customers for any financial losses they incurred as a result of the breach. In addition, JP Morgan Chase & Co.'s reputation was damaged by the incident, which likely contributed to further financial losses.

Wells Fargo Computer Security Incident

According to a report from the Ponemon Institute, the costliest data breach of all time occurred at Wells Fargo in 2016. The incident, which affected more than 100 million customers, resulted in an estimated $4 billion in damages.

The breach was caused by a malicious actor who gained access to Wells Fargo's computer systems and used them to steal customer information. This information was then used to open new accounts and make fraudulent charges.

Wells Fargo has since implemented new security measures to prevent such an incident from happening again. However, the damage done by the breach has been significant, and the company is still facing lawsuits and other legal action as a result.

Ashley Madison Data Breach

Ashley Madison, an online dating service for married people, was the victim of a massive data breach in 2015. The hackers gained access to sensitive information about the site's users, including their names, addresses, and sexual preferences.

This leak was particularly damaging because it exposed the infidelity of many users. As a result, some people lost their jobs and marriages. The Ashley Madison data breach is estimated to have cost the company over $1 billion.

Get cyber insurance, so that the recovery cost would not break your bank.