On July 22, Microsoft confirm that Chinese hackers breached its servers, targeting its SharePoint document software and the data of businesses using the platform. The company said the cyberattack was carried out by state-linked “threat actors” who gained unauthorized access to sensitive information stored on the popular collaboration tool.
The breach affected nearly 100 organizations worldwide—mostly in the United States and Germany—including government agencies. While the specific victims have not been named, national authorities have been notified.
Cybercrime has become a massive global industry and, despite ongoing efforts by governments and corporations to prevent these attacks, history shows that stopping them is no easy task. Explore the following gallery to learn about some of the most notorious cyberattacks in history.