Cybercriminals will attack businesses regardless of their size, sector, or location.
The largest corporate cyberattacks of 2021, as determined by the size of the ransom demanded, are depicted below.
In this list we have not considered crypto platforms, in year 2022 millions of Crypto were stolen from corporate ( example : Ronin was hacked for $540 Million ) Our list purely based on ransom fee paid by the corporates.
| Victim | Country | Industry | Amount paid or requested (USD millions) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft | U.S. | Technology | Undisclosed |
| Kia Motors | South Korea | Automotive | $20M* |
| Bombardier | Canada | Aviation | Undisclosed |
| CNA Financial | U.S. | Financial Services | $40M |
| Harris Federation | UK | Education | $8M* |
| Colonial Pipeline | U.S. | Energy | $4.4M |
| Brenntag | German | Chemicals | $4.4M |
| JBS | Canada | Food | $11M |
| Kaseya | U.S. | Technology | $70M* |
| Accenture | U.S. | Technology | $50M* |
| Acer | Taiwan | Technology | $50M* |
🔥 Energy : Colonial Pipeline Company.
The largest-ever cyberattack on an American oil infrastructure target occurred against the Colonial Pipeline.
On May 7, hackers shut down the company’s billing system and demanded ransom in exchange for the release of stolen data. The firm shut down its pipes while the talks were going on, which caused a gas shortage in the Southeast of the United States.
According to reports, Colonial Pipeline swiftly paid a $4.4 million bitcoin ransom (based on prices at the time). Some of these bitcoins were eventually recovered by the FBI, albeit their precise manner remained a secret.
💻 Innovation: Accenture
One of the biggest IT consulting firms in the world, Accenture, was the target of a ransomware assault in August 2021. Even though this may sound humorous, it serves as further evidence that any company, regardless of industry, is vulnerable to hackers.
“Neither the operations of Accenture nor the systems used by our client were impacted. We immediately isolated the impacted servers after finding this threat.
SPOKESPERSON WITH ACCENTURE
LockBit, which asserts that it took several gigabytes of data from Accenture’s servers, was identified as the hack’s perpetrator. Although it’s uncertain if the business paid the demanded ransom of $50 million, it was requested.
🏎️ Automotive: Kia Motors
In February, a group under the name of DoppelPaymer launched a ransomware attack against Kia’s American operation. If a $20 million (in bitcoin) ransom was not paid, hackers threatened to reveal stolen data in 2 to 3 weeks.
The Kia Owner Portal, Kia Connect (a mobile app for Kia owners), and internal dealership programs were among the systems that were hacked. As a result, customers were unable to pick up their brand-new vehicles.
Although Kia insisted it wasn’t hacked, the timing of the ransom note and Kia’s service interruptions seemed odd. Since 2020, DoppelPaymer has carried out a number of attacks, according to the FBI. Police departments in the United States, community institutions, and even a hospital in Germany are among the victims.
🥘 Food : JBS
One of the biggest meat processing corporations in the world, JBS, encountered difficulties in May at its North American operations. Soon after, the business announced it had paid a $11 million bitcoin ransom to the hackers.
It was quite difficult for me personally and our organization to come to this choice.
JBS USA CEO ANDRE NOGUEIRA
This incident, coupled with the hack of Colonial Pipeline, shows an unsettling pattern of vulnerable businesses being attacked. For comparison, JBS claims to have a global IT workforce of more than 850 employees and an annual IT spend of over $200 million. The perpetrators of this attack are a now-defunct Russian hacking collective known as REvil.
Increased security spending is the Menu for these corporate firms :
The world is seriously threatened by the increasing frequency and complexity of corporate hacking. In fact, according to recent PricewaterhouseCoopers data, 69% of organizations anticipate increased spending on cybersecurity in the future.
Do also check out our chart section. we have interesting charts.
Follow us on Twitter.
