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2020 Cyber Attacks Thus Far

Cyber attacks are a constant threat in this age of the internet, and despite the presence of a global pandemic, they are still on going in 2020. Thus far there have been a number of significant hacking attacks throughout the world. We’ll take a look at a number of the attacks that have happened so far, for a full list we would recommend looking at this resource. Now, let’s get into the cyber attacks of 2020 that have happened so far.

Cyber Attacks So Far

We’ll progress through the list in order from oldest to newest, just so we can end off with the most recent information fresh in your mind.

January 2020

• The Austrian foreign ministry was subjected to an attack that lasted several weeks, it is believed that a specific nation state was behind the attack.
• Around two dozen Pakistani government officials had their mobile phone targeted and infected by spyware that was developed by the Israeli NSO Group.
• The networks of two U.S municipalities were breached by nation state hackers, taking user information and adding in backdoor access for future attacks. As announced by the FBI.
• The UN revealed that their European IT systems were hacked into by an unknown but highly sophisticated hacking group.

February

• Malaysian government officials were targeted by Chinese hackers in an effort to steal data on government-backed projects happening in the area.
• Over 10 countries pointed the finger at Russia, accusing them of being behind a 2019 cyber attack against Georgia that affected thousands of websites for private, state, and media institutions.
• A failed cyber attack was launched against Mexico’s economic ministry’s network, but no sensitive information was taken.

March

• The CIA was accused by Chinese cybersecurity firm Qihoo 360 of being behind an 11 year long campaign of hacks against various Chinese industry, science, and government targets.
• Over 75 organizations around the world were targeted by Chinese hackers in a massive cyber espionage campaign that targeted manufacturing, media, healthcare, and nonprofit organizations.
• People involved with North Korean refugee issues were targeted by North Korean hackers.
• South Korean hackers used previously unreported software vulnerabilities in a cyber attack against North Korean targets as part of a large espionage campaign.

April

• Russian hacking groups planted articles on social media in an attempt to undermine the governments of Estonia and the Republic of Georgia
• Hackers, suspected to be from Vietnam, attacked Wuhan government networks in an effort to collect information relating to China’s COVID-19 response.
• Chinese cyber attacks against healthcare providers, pharmaceutical companies, and the U.S. department of health surged amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Poland indicated that Russia might be behind a series of cyber attacks against Poland’s War Studies University in an attempt to spread misinformation and undermine U.S.-Polish relations.

May

• Officials in the U.S. accused Chinese hackers of attempting to steal research into a coronavirus vaccine.
• Germany found that a Russian hacking group associated with the FSB had hacked into, and compromised the networks of energy, water, and power companies around Germany.
• Norway’s state investment fund was compromised in an email scam that fooled an employee into transferring $10 million into the hackers bank account.
• Iranian hackers conducted a cyber espionage campaign targeting air transportation and government actors in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

Always On Going

So long as the internet exists, cyber attacks will always be on going. While nations and big businesses have the resources for large scale and complex cyber security, smaller businesses and individuals may not have this luxury. There are ways to begin protecting yourself however, so don’t give into despair if this news sounds overwhelming. Use some common sense, take some precautions, and you’ll be giving yourself a good start on staying safe online.

June 15, 2020