Major security breaches do not only affect multinationals. Their causes — weak passwords, unpatched software, lack of encryption — are the same ones that compromise an SME any given day.
Yahoo (2013) — 3 billion accounts
The largest breach in history. Names, emails and passwords of all its users were exposed. Lesson: encrypt properly and rotate credentials.
Equifax (2017) — 147 million people
A known, unpatched vulnerability allowed the theft of financial data. Lesson: update management saves companies.
Marriott (2018) — 500 million guests
The attackers remained undetected for four years. Lesson: continuous monitoring is as important as prevention.
SEPE and Phone House (Spain, 2021)
Ransomware paralysed public services and leaked millions of customer records in Spain. Lesson: backups and response plans are essential.
Every incident shares a pattern: what failed was prevention, not luck. A timely audit costs a fraction of what a breach costs.
