Cyber Threat Intelligence

Cyber Attacks:
Timeline & Defense

Complete history of cyber attacks, key threat analysis, and essential resources to check if your data has been compromised

$16B+
2024 U.S. Cyber Crime Losses
1000+
Known Exploited Vulnerabilities
60M+
Affected by MOVEit Attack

Why This Matters Now

Understanding the cyber threat landscape is crucial for protecting yourself and your organization

Escalating Financial Losses

U.S. losses to online crime hit $16+ billion in 2024, up 33% year-over-year according to the FBI's IC3 report.

View FBI Report

Multi-Million Dollar Breaches

The global average cost of a data breach reaches into the multi-million-dollar range, with healthcare and financial sectors hit hardest.

IBM Cost Report

Cascade Effect Attacks

Ransomware and mass-exploitation campaigns like MOVEit and Log4Shell show how one flaw can ripple through thousands of organizations.

MOVEit Analysis

Active Threat Tracking

CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog is the definitive list of threats being actively used by attackers right now.

View KEV Catalog

What Counts as a "Cyber Attack"?

A cyber attack is any deliberate attempt to disrupt, disable, steal from, or gain unauthorized control of a computer system or network. This includes phishing, malware and ransomware, supply-chain compromises, DDoS, zero-day exploitation, data exfiltration, and attacks on industrial control systems (ICS).

View ENISA Threat Landscape

Milestone Cyber Attacks Timeline

Key incidents that shaped the cyber threat landscape and evolved attack tactics

This timeline shows landmark attacks, not every incident ever recorded
1988

Morris Worm

First major Internet-scale worm affects 6,000+ computers (10% of Internet). Leads to the first felony conviction under the U.S. Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

FBI Case Study
2010

Stuxnet

Precision malware sabotages Iran's Natanz nuclear centrifuges. A watershed moment for ICS-focused attacks and cyber-physical warfare.

CFR Analysis
2017

WannaCry Ransomware

Global ransomware outbreak disrupts 200,000+ systems across 150+ countries, including England's NHS healthcare system.

NHS Case Study
2017

NotPetya

Destructive malware masquerading as ransomware causes >$10B in global damages, hitting Maersk, Merck, and countless others.

WIRED Investigation
2020

SolarWinds Supply Chain

Supply-chain compromise of Orion software hits multiple U.S. federal agencies and thousands of enterprises worldwide.

CISA Advisory
2021

Colonial Pipeline

DarkSide ransomware halts fuel supply across the U.S. East Coast. Ransom paid, with partial recovery later by DOJ.

CISA Analysis
2021

Log4Shell (CVE-2021-44228)

Critical vulnerability in ubiquitous Apache Log4j logging library leads to mass exploitation across the internet.

CISA Guidance
2023

MOVEit Mass-Exploitation

Cl0p ransomware group exploits MOVEit file transfer software, compromising 1,000+ organizations and 60+ million individuals.

TechCrunch Analysis
2023

MGM & Caesars Casino Attacks

Social engineering attacks target major casino operations. Caesars reportedly paid ~$15M ransom; MGM faced ~$100M impact.

Attack Overview
2024

Change Healthcare

Ransomware attack triggers nationwide healthcare disruption. ~$22M ransom reportedly paid with multibillion-dollar fallout.

WIRED Report

Key Attack Types Explained

Understanding the most common and dangerous cyber attack methods in plain English

Phishing & Business Email Compromise

Sophisticated social engineering attacks that trick users into sending money, credentials, or sensitive information. BEC attacks alone cause billions in losses annually.

Common Tactics:

  • Impersonating executives or vendors
  • Urgent wire transfer requests
  • Fake login pages and credential theft
View FBI IC3 Data

Ransomware & Data Extortion

Malicious software that encrypts systems and/or threatens to leak stolen data unless ransom is paid. Modern variants often combine encryption with data theft.

Notable Examples:

  • Colonial Pipeline (DarkSide)
  • Change Healthcare ($22M ransom)
  • MGM Resorts (~$100M impact)
NotPetya Case Study

Supply-Chain Compromises

Attacks that abuse trusted software updates or vendor relationships to gain widespread access. These attacks leverage existing trust relationships.

Major Incidents:

  • SolarWinds Orion (18,000+ customers)
  • MOVEit exploitation (1,000+ orgs)
  • Kaseya VSA (managed service providers)
CISA SolarWinds Advisory

Zero-Day & Mass Exploitation

Attacks targeting previously unknown vulnerabilities or widely-used components before or just after public disclosure. These create massive exposure windows.

Critical Examples:

  • Log4Shell (CVE-2021-44228)
  • Exchange Server ProxyLogon
  • MOVEit zero-day exploitation
Log4Shell CISA Guidance

DDoS & Availability Attacks

Distributed attacks that flood services with traffic to make them unavailable. Often used as cover for other attacks or for extortion purposes.

Common Vectors:

  • Volumetric (bandwidth exhaustion)
  • Protocol attacks (SYN floods)
  • Application layer (HTTP floods)
ENISA Threat Analysis

Current Threat Landscape Statistics

$16B+
2024 U.S. Internet Crime Losses
FBI IC3 Report
Multi-Million
Average Global Breach Cost
IBM Cost Study
1000+
Known Exploited Vulnerabilities
CISA KEV Catalog

Has Your Data Been Compromised?

Essential tools and resources to check if your information appears in known data breaches

Take action immediately if you find exposures

1. Check Breach Exposures by Email/Phone

Have I Been Pwned (HIBP)

The most comprehensive database for checking if your email or phone number appears in known data breaches.

Email breach search
Phone number lookup
Password breach check
Domain monitoring
Check on Have I Been Pwned

2. Official Breach Notification Databases

California AG Breach Portal

Searchable database of data breach notifications filed with the California Attorney General.

Search CA Breaches

HHS "Wall of Shame"

Official U.S. Department of Health and Human Services database of HIPAA breaches.

View HHS Breaches

3. Monitor Your Credit & Identity

Free Credit Reports

Official site for free credit reports from all three major bureaus. Now available weekly.

Get Free Reports

Place a Credit Freeze

Free service to block new credit accounts from being opened in your name.

How to Freeze Credit

Identity Theft Reporting

Official FTC site to report identity theft and receive a personalized recovery plan.

Report Identity Theft

What to Do If You're Affected

Step-by-step checklist to protect yourself when your data has been compromised

1

Change Passwords & Enable MFA

Immediately change passwords for affected accounts and enable multi-factor authentication.

Immediate Actions:

  • Change affected account passwords
  • Enable MFA on all accounts
  • Use a password manager

Best Practices:

  • Prefer app-based MFA
  • Consider hardware keys
  • Avoid SMS when possible
Check Password Breaches
2

Revoke Tokens & Sessions

Sign out of all devices and sessions, then rotate API keys and access tokens.

Session Management:

  • Sign out everywhere
  • Rotate API keys
  • Update app passwords

Review Access:

  • Check active sessions
  • Remove unused integrations
  • Review login history
3

Freeze Your Credit

Place a credit freeze with all three major credit bureaus and consider adding a fraud alert.

Experian

Freeze & alerts

Equifax

Freeze & alerts

TransUnion

Freeze & alerts

Credit Freeze Guide
4

Monitor Statements & Reports

Watch your bank statements, credit card bills, and credit reports weekly for unauthorized activity.

Financial Monitoring:

  • Check statements weekly
  • Monitor bank accounts
  • Review credit reports

Set Up Alerts:

  • Transaction alerts
  • Account notifications
  • Credit monitoring
5

Report the Incident

File reports with appropriate authorities to create an official record.

Identity Theft

File at IdentityTheft.gov

Report Identity Theft

Cyber Crime

Submit to FBI IC3

FBI IC3 Portal

Emergency Contact Information

Keep these resources handy in case of a security incident

Credit Bureaus

Contact all three to place freezes

FTC Identity Theft

IdentityTheft.gov

FBI IC3

Report cyber crimes

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Common Questions About Cyber Attacks

Is there a single site to see "every breach ever"?

Are ransom payments illegal?

Where can I verify current widespread threats?

How do I know if a breach notification email is legitimate?

What should I do if my company doesn't take cybersecurity seriously?

FOR ORGANIZATIONS

Prevention Priorities for Organizations

1. Patch What's Actively Exploited

Work from CISA's KEV catalog. Prioritize vulnerabilities attackers are actually using.

Key Actions:

  • • Subscribe to CISA KEV updates
  • • Establish emergency patching procedures
  • • Maintain asset inventory

2. Harden Identity Systems

Most successful attacks exploit weak identity controls. Strong authentication stops attacks before they start.

Implementation Steps:

  • • Deploy phishing-resistant MFA
  • • Implement least privilege access
  • • Disable legacy authentication

3. Backups + Test Restores

Ransomware groups target backups. Your recovery capability is your last line of defense.

Backup Strategy:

  • • 3-2-1 rule: 3 copies, 2 media, 1 offsite
  • • Air-gapped or immutable copies
  • • Regular testing

4. Third-Party Risk Management

Supply-chain attacks like SolarWinds show how vendor compromises become your problem.

Risk Management:

  • • Maintain vendor inventory
  • • Require breach notification SLAs
  • • Monitor advisories

5. Detection & Response

Assume breach will happen. Your ability to detect and contain determines ultimate impact.

Detection Capabilities:

  • • Centralized logging
  • • Endpoint Detection (EDR/XDR)
  • • 24/7 security operations

6. Report and Share Intelligence

Information sharing helps the entire community defend against evolving threats.

Reporting Channels:

  • • FBI IC3 for cybercrime
  • • CISA for significant incidents
  • • Industry ISACs

Implementation Roadmap

Build your cybersecurity program systematically over 12-18 months.

1

Months 1-3: Foundation

  • • Asset inventory
  • • MFA deployment
  • • Basic backup testing
  • • Incident response plan
2

Months 4-9: Enhancement

  • • EDR/XDR deployment
  • • Advanced MFA rollout
  • • Third-party assessments
  • • Security training
3

Months 10-18: Maturity

  • • 24/7 SOC capability
  • • Threat intelligence
  • • Advanced threat hunting
  • • Continuous improvement
LIVE INTELLIGENCE

Live Trackers & Research Hubs

Government & Official Sources

CISA KEV Catalog

Known Exploited Vulnerabilities

FBI IC3 Reports

Internet Crime statistics

ENISA Threat Landscape

EU threat analysis

Industry Research & Intelligence

IBM Cost of Data Breach

Annual breach cost analysis

View Report

Verizon DBIR

Real-world breach data

Download DBIR
IMMEDIATE ACTION

Check Yourself Right Now

Check Breach Exposure

Find out if your data appears in known breaches.

Have I Been Pwned

Search 12+ billion compromised accounts

Monitor Credit & Identity

Set up protection for your financial identity.

Free Credit Reports

Official site for free weekly reports

Get Reports

Identity Theft Recovery

Official FTC recovery planning

Recovery Plan

If You Find Your Data in Breaches

1

Change Passwords

2

Enable MFA

3

Monitor Accounts

4

Report & Protect