In this article we are going to list the 5 biggest companies that have been hacked. For a detailed coverage of this topic and a more comprehensive look please take a look at the 15 biggest companies that have been hacked.
5. BP (NYSE:BP)
Total revenue of the company in 2019 (in millions of dollars): 282,616
Total profits of the company in 2019 (in millions of dollars): 4,026
Total assets of the company in 2019 (in millions of dollars): 295,194
Total employees of the company in 2019: 72,500
A malware attack on the energy giant’s online recruitment portal in 2018 caused the data of over 60,000 people applying to BP for jobs since 2008 to be compromised. Personal details such as name, age, gender, and contact details of applicants to the site were stolen by a third party.
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4. Volkswagen
Total revenue of the company in 2019 (in millions of dollars): 282,760
Total profits of the company in 2019 (in millions of dollars): 15,542
Total assets of the company in 2019 (in millions of dollars): 547,810.9
Total employees of the company in 2019: 671,205
Though not confirmed by the German automaker itself, rumors of hacking using a ransomware by the name of “Conti” surfaced in 2020. According to reports from multiple sources online, the group was able to steal data from more than 8,000 documents which were then posted online in an underground forum.
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3. Saudi Aramco
Total revenue of the company in 2019 (in millions of dollars): 329,784
Total profits of the company in 2019 (in millions of dollars): 88,210.9
Total assets of the company in 2019 (in millions of dollars): 398,438.6
Total employees of the company in 2019: 79,000
The huge Saudi American Oil company was hit by a devastatingly large cyberattack in 2012, wiping out 35,000 PCs and forcing the company to turn to now obsolete, entirely offline methods to conduct their work. The hackers were able to gain access by sending employees a suspicious email containing a link. When clicked, the hackers were able to gain access to the system of one of the largest companies in the world.
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2. Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE:RDS)
Total revenue of the company in 2019 (in millions of dollars): 352,106
Total profits of the company in 2019 (in millions of dollars): 15,842
Total assets of the company in 2019 (in millions of dollars): 404,386
Total employees of the company in 2019: 83,000
The same hacker group which targeted Exxon Mobil also made this Anglo-Dutch oil and gas multinational its victim. Night Dragon, the group’s self-proclaimed name hacked into several major oil and gas companies in 2011, stealing important propriety information for at least a year before being discovered.
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1. China National Petroleum
Total revenue of the company in 2019 (in millions of dollars): 379,130
Total profits of the company in 2019 (in millions of dollars): 4,443.2
Total assets of the company in 2019 (in millions of dollars): 608,085.6
Total employees of the company in 2019: 1,344,410
Topping our list of the 5 biggest companies that have been hacked is the Chinese oil and gas company, which was attacked by a malicious ransomware called “WannaCry” that hit more than 150 countries all over the world in 2017. Reports from South China Morning Post stated that over 20,000 gas stations in China went down after the attack, unable to accept credit cards. The ransomware infected systems by locking them and then demanding a large sum in the form of bitcoins to unlock it.
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