Data breaches have moved from being just IT problems to full-blown national crises. In the past 10 years, some of the world’s biggest companies and government entities have experienced breaches that exposed millions of users, sparked lawsuits, triggered CEO resignations, and, in some cases, even changed the way we approach cybersecurity.
Here are some of the major data breaches from the last decade and a look at what went wrong, how the companies responded, and the biggest lessons for everyone else.
1. Uber (2016, revealed in 2017)
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What went wrong: Attackers stole credentials stored in a GitHub repository and accessed Uber’s cloud systems.
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Impact: 57 million rider and driver accounts were compromised.
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What happened next: Uber tried to cover it up and paid $148 million in a settlement.
2. Equifax (2017)
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What went wrong: Attackers exploited a known vulnerability in unpatched Apache Struts to access Equifax data.
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Impact: The personal data of 148 million people was exposed, including names, Social Security numbers, and dates of birth.
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What happened next: Equifax paid up to $425 million in a settlement to help affected consumers, and its CEO resigned.
3. Facebook and Cambridge Analytica (2018)
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What went wrong: A third-party quiz app harvested data from millions of Facebook users and their friends.
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Impact: About 50 million profiles were exploited for political advertising.
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What happened next: Mark Zuckerberg testified before Congress. Facebook paid a $5 billion fine, one of the largest privacy penalties ever.
4. SolarWinds (2020)
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What went wrong: State-sponsored hackers inserted malware into SolarWinds Orion’s software updates.
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Impact: This affected over 18,000 customers, including United States government agencies and Fortune 500 firms.
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What happened next: This sparked a widespread move towards Zero Trust architecture.
5. 23andMe (2023)
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What went wrong: Credential stuffing due to reused passwords allowed attackers to exploit the DNA Relatives feature and scrape additional user data.
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Impact: Data, including genetic information, from 6.9 million users was accessed.
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What happened next: 23andMe faced lawsuits and eventually filed for bankruptcy in early 2025.
Data breach prevention tips for companies to stay cybersecure
1. Apply patches without delay
Many cyberattacks exploit vulnerabilities that already have available fixes. Delays in applying security patches give attackers a window of opportunity to strike. In several well-documented incidents, breaches occurred not because of sophisticated hacking but because of a known flaw being left unpatched for weeks or even months. Staying on top of software updates is one of the simplest yet most effective ways to prevent breaches.
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What you can do: Establish an automated patch management process to ensure critical updates are applied promptly across all systems.
2. Treat third-party vendors as part of your security perimeter
Attackers can easily compromise a trusted supplier and use it as a gateway into larger networks. Companies often overlook the risks posed by third-party software and service providers.
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What you can do: Conduct regular security audits of vendors, ask for compliance reports or certifications, and monitor third-party integrations for unusual activity.
3. Implement the Zero Trust security model
Traditional security models assume that everything inside the network is safe. This assumption no longer holds in the age of cloud computing and remote work. Zero Trust requires verification for every access request, regardless of its origin.
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What you can do: Use identity and access management tools, enforce multi-factor authentication, and restrict access on a need-to-know basis.
4. Understand your responsibilities in the cloud
Many companies assume their cloud service provider handles all aspects of security. In reality, cloud security is a shared responsibility. A misconfigured firewall in a cloud environment can create openings for unauthorized access to sensitive data, as seen in a lot of high-profile breaches.
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What you can do: Regularly review and update your cloud security policies. Use tools to detect misconfigurations and ensure access controls are properly set.
5. Be transparent when a breach occurs
Attempting to conceal a breach can lead to greater reputational and legal fallout. Transparency is not only an ethical responsibility but also a critical step in rebuilding user trust and demonstrating accountability.
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What you can do: Prepare an incident response plan that includes clear communication protocols. Notify regulators and affected users of any breach promptly and honestly.
6. Educate employees and users about cybersecurity risks
Weak passwords, phishing, and poor cyber hygiene often open the door to attackers. Attackers can exploit reused passwords through credential stuffing, taking advantage of users who do not follow best practices.
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What you can do: Conduct regular cybersecurity training sessions. Encourage the use of password managers and ensure that multi-factor authentication is enabled across platforms.
7. Have a ransomware response strategy in place
Ransomware attacks have shown how disruptive and costly they can be. Even if data is recovered, operations may be halted, customers may be impacted, and reputations may be damaged.
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What you can do: Maintain secure, offline backups. Test your disaster recovery and incident response plans regularly. Segment your network to reduce the spread of attacks.
Even the biggest companies can fall if the basics aren’t in place. If there’s one lesson to take away, it’s this: Prevention is always cheaper than recovery.
