Notable hacks, breaches, and cybersecurity history.
Test your knowledge with these top questions!
Which cybersecurity firm traced its own intrusion to a SolarWinds Orion update?
FireEye found its red-team tools stolen and traced the intrusion to a poisoned Orion update.
Which extension did ILOVEYOU append to targeted media filenames?
For image and music files, the worm created .vbs copies and deleted or hid the original media.
Which Microsoft server software did the Code Red worm exploit?
Code Red targeted idq.dll, an IIS extension for Indexing Service, so a web request could trigger code on the server.
Which FireEye setting did Target leave disabled during the breach?
Target had not enabled FireEye's automatic deletion option, which could remove detected malware without manual action.
Target's attackers entered the network through what route?
Attackers used credentials stolen from Fazio Mechanical, an HVAC contractor with remote access to Target.
Why did Equifax's network monitor miss the breach for so long?
The expired certificate prevented Equifax's traffic-inspection device from inspecting encrypted connections, letting attackers blend stolen data into normal web activity.
Which Microsoft application did Melissa infect through its global template?
Melissa copied its macro into Word's Normal template, so new documents could carry the virus too.
Melissa's rapid email propagation primarily caused what organizational problem?
Some organizations shut down email after mass copies of infected mail overloaded their servers.
Which Morris Worm behavior caused some infected hosts to overload?
The worm deliberately allowed occasional reinfection, so extra copies could pile up and consume a host's resources.
The Equifax breach exposed which type of personal identifier?
Equifax stored Social Security numbers alongside names, birth dates, and addresses, giving identity thieves more data to exploit.