As 2016 comes to a close, it’s time to reflect back on the largest/most significant security news stories that left an impact on the world.

Mirai Botnet

Being hailed as the largest attack of its kind in history, the DDoS attack launched by the Mirai botnet encompassed over 100,000 unique endpoints and hit a peak of 1.2 Tbps, all through the unauthorized use of IoT devices. During the attack, many highly-trafficked sites were brought to a halt along with several critical Internet infrastructure points based on the Dyn server architecture which supports the majority of the Internet’s DNS pathways.

Panama Papers Leak

Early in 2016, it was announced that a confirmed data breach had taken place within Mossack Fonseca, one of the largest offshore law firms in the world. In the breach are over 11 million files with financial documents for thousands of prominent individuals, from actors to politicians to entire corporations.

Adult Dating Sites’ Users Exposed

While several adult dating sites were targeted by hackers in 2016, the farthest reaching was the FriendFinder Network breach that affected over 400 million active customer accounts. Even worse for the victims, the majority of user passwords were stored in plaintext, or without any encryption in place.

Hospital Succumbs to Ransom Demand

With more and more healthcare facilities coming under attack from ransomware, it’s no surprise to see at least one fail to have the proper backups and are forced to pay the ransom to regain their systems. Early in the year, Hollywood Presbyterian medical center was forced to pay a $17,000 ransom to ensure they could continue normal operations, which set an example for attacks in the coming months, for potential targets to properly defend against such attacks.

FBI vs. Apple Encryption Debate

As data privacy concerns continue to grow, the dispute between the FBI and Apple regarding a phone used by a suspect in the San Bernadino shootings being unlocked possible evidence in the case. The issue ended up going to court with Apple defending its customers rights by declining to assist with bypassing the encryption, as the workaround could be used limitlessly once created. The case was eventually dropped as the FBI was able to gain access to the device without Apples’ assistance.

About the Author

Connor Madsen

Threat Research Analyst

As a Threat Research Analyst, Connor is tasked with discovering and identifying new malware variants, as well as testing current samples to ensure efficacy. Don’t miss the latest security news from around the world in his weekly Cyber News Rundown blog.