4 Lessons Learned From 2024's Biggest Cyberattacks
Cyber Defense Magazine, Thursday, March 6th, 2025
Studying the history of hacking incidents teaches cybersecurity experts that anything can be accessed if someone is determined enough. Cyberattacks have been around since before the internet.
The first hacking incident happened in 1834 when two people stole data about the financial market by tapping into the French Telegraph System. Others used wireless telegraphy throughout the years.
The first computer-based hacking incident was thought to occur on a college campus. MIT limited how much time students could spend on computers. In 1962, Allan Scherr decided they should get more. He used a punch card, printed all the passwords in the university's system and passed them out to students.
Computer viruses emerged, followed by more sophisticated hacking. Eventually, phishing, SQL injections, ransomware and denial of service attacks joined the fray. Today, hackers are tapping into the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to up the ante.