Getting hacked can be a very scary experience. Though some computer hacks are totally harmless, others can be devastating and can cause irreparable damage. With that in mind, here, we present our list of the top 10 craziest computer hacks of all time. Check out part one below, and stay tuned for part two, coming soon!
Number Ten: Target. In 2013, every single Target store in the United States was hacked (for the record, there are 1,797). More than 40 million people’s credit card information was stolen, and another 70 million people on top of that had other personal information (address, phone numbers, etc.) stolen. The hackers were able to get away with it by installing malware that stored the information of every single credit card that was swiped inside a Target store.
Number Nine: Sony’s Playstation Network. Sony’s Playstation network was very badly hacked in 2011. Approximately 77 million accounts were hacked, and lots of personal information was stolen. Sony was subsequently criticized for the lack of security it provided in its Playstation system, and the total cost of recovering from the hack was estimated to be $171 million. The Playstation network was offline for a whopping 23 days as a result of this hack.
Number Eight: The Office of Personnel Management. The government has what’s called the Office of Personnel Management, and it was hacked in 2015. Not very much is known about this hack, but it is especially scary because it’s part of the federal government, and so the anti-hacking software should be stronger than anywhere else in the United States.
Number Seven: Ashley Madison. The Ashley Madison hack was one of the most publicized hacks of 2015. The hackers were able to acquire information about nearly every use on Ashley Madison, and they broadcast more than 25 gigabytes of data to the public as a result. Some users sued Ashely Madison for up to $151 million due to home life damage, ironically (Ashley Madison is a website for people in relationships to pursue extramarital affairs).
Number Six: Albert Gonzalez. Albert Gonzalez is the mastermind behind a two-year hack from 2005 to 2007 in which he stole more than 170 million people’s credit card information. Gonzales was able to steal information from within internal networks, and it is rumored that he became so rich he complained about having to count $340,000 by hand. Gonzales was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2010. Stay tuned for part two of our list of the top 10 computer hacks of all time, coming soon!