Cyber security has been a major topic of discussion throughout 2014, with no signs of cyber attacks slowing down. Several organisations have faced high-end data breaches with millions of stolen credentials. Moreover, according to Arbor Networks research, in 2014 there were two times more DDoS attacks than in 2013.

The start of a new year could mean more sophisticated attacks calling for better security solutions and more pro-active approaches to detect and prevent cyber crime.

Here is a 2014 retrospective list of worldwide cyber attacks.

January 2014

01.01– The Neiman Marcus breach affecting 1.1 million customers whose credit card data was stolen

20.01- Credit card details from almost half of all South Koreans were stolen and sold to marketing firms.

21.01– Syrian Electronic Army hacked Microsoft blog

24.01 – Syrian Electronic Army hacked CNN website, Twitter and Facebook accounts

25.01 – 25 January, 2014 – Michaels Stores confirmed fraudulent activity resulting in stolen payment card data

February 2014

05.02 – Texas health system attacked, resulting in more than 400,000 patients, employees and employee beneficiaries victims having their data stolen

14.02 – Syrian Electronic Army hacked Forbes website because of “Hate for Syria”

16.02 – Kickstarter Cyber Attack resulting in stolen password and phone numbers stolen

24.02 – Banking Malware spread through several YouTube Ads

25.02 Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox faced a massive hacker attack that stole hundreds of millions of dollars worth of its users’ bitcoins and left the company bankrupt.

March 2014

10.03 – Hackers steal 12 million customer records from South Korean South Korean telecom company KT Corp.

14.03 – Credit Card Breach at California Department of Motor Vehicles

17.03 – Payroll information of up to 100,000 employees of the British supermarket Morrisons was posted on a website, exposing the names, addresses and bank account details of staff.

20.03 – EA Games website hacked resulting in stolen Apple IDs

28.03 – 550,000 customers, as well as employees, of Texas-based Spec’s had personal information – including payment card data – compromised in a malware attack that impacted 34 locations

April 2014

07.04 – Worst Data Breach in German History, 18 Million Email Passwords Compromised

08.04– The Heartbleed bug: serious vulnerability found in OpenSSL cryptographic software library

15.04 – Hackers attacking Germany’s space research centre in Cologne

15.04– Welsh Councils break DPA 2.5 times a week

22.04 – Iowa State server breach exposes SSNs of nearly 30,000

29.04 – AOL Security Breach

May 2014

08.05 – Orange faces cyberattack resulting in 1.3 Million customers

09.05 WooThemes users notified of payment card breach, 300 reports of fraud

21.05 – eBay Suffers Cyber Attack

27.05 – Avast Suffers Cyber Attack; 400,000 users affected

June 2014

14.06 – P.F. Chang’s Confirms Credit Card Breach

17.06 – Hackers steal Domino’s Pizza Customer Data

19.06 – Hacker puts Code Spaces out of business

19.06 – Sun and Sunday Times Websites Hacked by the Syrian Electronic Army

22.06 – British Gas Help Twitter account hacked

23.06 – ‘Most sophisticated DDoS’ ever strikes Hong Kong democracy poll

25.06 – European Bank Hit by Cyber Attack; £400,000 stolen

July 2016

01.07 – Energy Firms Hacked by Cyber Espionage Group ‘Dragonfly’

04.07 – $3.75 Billion Brazilian Boleto Malware Attack

08.07 – HotelHippo.com Closes after Data Leak

15.07 – CNET Hacked, One Million Users’ Data Stolen

16.07 – Information Commissioner’s Office Suffers Data Security Breach

23.07 – Second eBay security breach

31.07 – Gizmodo Brazil hacked, fake Adobe Flash download opens backdoor

31.07– Massive Paddy Power hack: nearly 650,000 customers’ records stolen

August 2014

05.08 – Goodwill and FBI Investigate Possible Security Breach

15.08 – Supervalu supermarket chain begin investigating possible data breach

19.08 – US Cyber Crime Goes Nuclear: NRC Computers Hacked THREE Times

21.08 – Over 50 UPS franchises hit by data breach

27.08 – Hackers attacking Norwegian oil industry

27.08 – Records of 25,000 Homeland Security Employees Stolen in Cyber Attack

28.08 – FBI Probes Possible Hacking Incident at J.P. Morgan

September 2014

04.09 – Home Depot faces breach larger than Target’s

05.09 – 800k Payment Cards Compromised in Goodwill Industries Breach

05.09 – Hackers attacking the ObamaCare Website

18.09 – Home Depot: 56M Cards Impacted, Malware Contained

23.09 – 880,000 Affected by Viator Payment Card Breach

25.09 – Payment card data stolen in Jimmy John’s data breach

29.09 – Hundreds of US Stores Affected as POS Provider is Hacked

30.09 – SuperValu compromised again – for the second time in three months

October 2014

03.10– JPMorgan suffers data breach affecting 76 million customers

10.10 – Dairy Queen data breach affects 395 stores

14.10 – Malware Based Credit Card Breach at Kmart

21.10 – Staples stores payment card breach

23.10 – POODLE attack digs up downgrade flaw in TLS

29.10 – White House unclassified network hacked

November 2014

13.11 – Data breach affects 2.7 million HSBC Turkey cardholders

17.11– US State Department network shut amid reports of cyber breach

25.11 – Sony Pictures Entertainment hacked

27.11 – Syrian Electronic Army attack on Gigya affects Telegraph, Independent, Evening Standard

December 2014

04.12 – Credit card breach at Bebe Stores

11.12 – Union Station parking lot suffers suspected data breach

11.12 – Electronic payment company CHARGE Anywhere suffers five-year breach

15.12 – Personal information leaked in University of California, Berkeley, data breach

16.12 – Massive hacking attack against Sony Pictures Entertainment

18.12 – Global Internet Authority ICANN Has Been Hacked

19.12 KeyPoint cyberattack compromises 48,000 federal employees

22.12 – Staples confirm details of six-month breach, 1.16 million cards affected

24.12 – South Korean Nuclear Power Plant Hacked

27.12 – Hackers leak 13,000 Passwords Of Amazon, Walmart and Brazzers Users

28.12 – Cyber Criminals use missing AirAsia Flight QZ 8501 mystery as Bait

29.12 – Hacker Clones German Defense Minister’s Fingerprint Using Just her Photos