WhatsApp hack latest breach of personal data security
The hacking of WhatsApp -- in which spyware was sneaked into phones, compromising personal data -- is one of the most spectacular of a series of such attacks in recent years.
The instant messaging service used by 1.5 billion people worldwide said Tuesday a security breach had allowed sophisticated attackers to install the malicious software into phones via its app.
Here are some previous cases of a similar kind.
Yahoo, billions hacked
In what is considered the biggest cyberattack in history, a 2013 hack affected all three billion accounts at Yahoo.
Another attack on Yahoo, blamed on Russian hackers, affected some 500 million accounts in 2014, with stolen data including usernames, email addresses and birthdates.
It was only revealed in September 2016 and resulted in fine of $35 million in 2018 for its then-financial arm, Altaba.
Password plunder
In 2014 online data protection firm Hold Security claimed that Russian hackers had accessed 1.2 billion passwords linked to 420,000 internet sites around the world, from corporate giants to individual accounts.
Hold Security pointed to a group of hackers called "CyberVor", which it said had potentially gained access to 500 million e-mail accounts.
Hottest hack
In 2015 hackers calling themselves The Impact Team published nearly 30 gigabytes of files including the names and sexual orientation of people who had signed up with Ashley Madison, a website facilitating extra-marital affairs.
The company's boss stepped down as several suicides in the United States and Canada were linked to the revelations.
Ashley Madison had earlier offered to delete users' personal data for a modest fee but did not.
Uber off the road
The ride-sharing giant was vilified after the hacking in 2016 of data on 57 million of its riders and drivers, unveiled only in November 2017.
It was also criticised for paying the hackers $100,000 to destroy their booty.
Uber was fined $148 million for covering up the fraud, and was also prosecuted in The Netherlands and Britain.
Facebook under fire
In 2018 hackers exploited a trio of software flaws to access the personal data of 29 million Facebook users, getting hold of names, phone numbers and email addresses.
The breach sparked renewed criticisms of Facebook after it acknowledged that tens of millions of users had their personal data hijacked by Cambridge Analytica, a political firm working for Donald Trump in 2016.
Intrusion at Marriott
Global hotel giant Marriott International said in November 2018 up to 383 million guests may have been victims of a hack, involving five million passport numbers and less than 2,000 credit card numbers.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed China.
