In the age of technology, government agencies are no stranger to cyberattacks. Cybercriminals target these institutions for valuable data and sensitive information. Here are some government agencies that have been hit by cyberattacks in recent years.
The United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM) was attacked in 2015, which resulted in the theft of millions of personal records belonging to current and former federal employees. The OPM collects and stores sensitive information for security clearances, background checks, and other employment-related purposes.
In 2017, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) suffered a major breach where hackers stole tax refund data from thousands of taxpayers. The IRS is responsible for collecting taxes and administering the country’s tax laws.
Another agency hit hard by cyberattacks is the Department of Defense (DoD). In 2008, the DoD reported that it had experienced more than six million attempted intrusions into its computer networks every day. To combat these attacks, they have implemented various cybersecurity measures to protect their systems from potential breaches.
The National Security Agency (NSA) is another agency that has fallen victim to cyberattacks. In 2016, a group known as “Shadow Brokers” claimed responsibility for stealing NSA hacking tools and tried to sell them online. The NSA is responsible for gathering intelligence on foreign governments and organizations that pose a threat to national security.
Finally, we have seen state-level election infrastructure fall under attack during elections season. During the 2020 US Presidential Election cycle Russian agents were found meddling with voter registration databases across several states including Florida over concerns surrounding election integrity.
These examples demonstrate how critical it is for government agencies to take cybersecurity seriously given their huge responsibility towards citizens’ well-being within both domestic or international affairs – even if you’re not involved directly with any agency affected by this issue it remains important because your own data can be at risk if such an attack were successful which would ultimately affect us all.