Hacks of Catastrophic Potential

It is no news that high profile companies have fallen victim to attacks from cyber criminals; often leaking private personal data and financial information for all to see.. or to buy. Either hacked by infamous hacking groups, stolen cyber surveillance tools or daring hacktivists, hacking has become a frequent crime of the modern world. But what happens when these hacks have potentially dangerous and destructive outcomes? Below i have outlined some famous hacks that really stood out to me.

Stuxnet 2010

The United States is known for its harsh penalties in punishment for hacking. However it certainly isn’t innocent of commiting cyber attacks. Stuxnet, discovered in 2010; was a malicious software worm that was specifically designed to infect Siemens industrial controllers via Microsoft Windows. It's target was uranium enrichment facilities in Iran. The worm was created to disrupt the operations of Siemens centrifuges in nuclear power plants, making them spin at uneven speeds and hide that from their operators. Crazy idea to authorise this, given the potential explosive reaction by the Iranians..

US Weapon System Plans Stolen

A top secret report prepared by intelligence agencies for the Pentagon contained information indicating that Chinese cyber criminals breached design files for over two dozen critical weapons systems, including critical missile defence programs. Officially, the White House administration did not place blame on China, but the leaders of the two nations did come together to discuss cyber security concerns and the retrieval of lost and duplicated data.

Conficker 2008

An extremely famous hack within internet security circles is Conficker. The Conficker worm exploited vulnerabilities in a number of Microsoft operating systems. Once a unit becomes infected, it links unwilling computers together into a massive botnet that can be controlled by the initial attacker; whoever and wherever they are. Conficker has since infected millions of computers and business networks in countries around the world. Huge invasions into national security databases and international governments are still unable to identify the creator.
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National Health Service Attack 2017

The NHS faced complete chaos after hackers infiltrated their computer systems with advanced ransomware. Operations and appointments were cancelled and mass panic followed, as doctors warned the hack could cost lives. Up to 40 hospital trusts became infected by the ransomware attack, demanding payment of Bitcoin for a decryption key to regain access. Staff members described how their monitors were locked by the attack and were given a warning message attached ransome note (see below). It is needless to say the dangerous potential a hack of this design has to the British public.

DoD Hack 1999

The Department of Defence is arguable the Holy Grail to the hacking world, boasting easily one of the most secure networks in the world. However the United States military’s computer system was compromised by a teenage boy, causing US security experts to go into a severe state of hysteria. Florida high school student Jonathan James installed backdoor software into the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, a DoD division, and intercepted numerous classified emails, including life support code for the International Space Station. Sadly after receiving his punishment for the US Government, he committed suicide.

These are few of many, many hacks that have been performed around the globe that pose a danger to online international security. I find it some what fascinating that billion dollar security systems can be toppled by teenagers and that anonymous cyber criminals can stay hidden whilst creating havoc. The level of severity and list of possibilities for hacks, truly are endless.