Every year, TechCrunch takes a look at the most notable cybersecurity incidents of the past year, learning lessons from shocking breaches and weeks-long disruptions. In 2025, the data breaches surpassed anything we’ve seen before.

Security Incidents Targeting Governments and Major Corporations

The U.S. federal government faced multiple cyberattacks. The year began with Chinese hackers infiltrating the U.S. Treasury, soon followed by breaches in several agencies, even compromising the department responsible for nuclear weapons, all due to a SharePoint security flaw. Simultaneously, Russian hackers stole sealed records from the U.S. Courts’ filing system, creating major alarm across the judiciary system.

However, the most significant breach was attributed to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Led by Elon Musk, DOGE violated federal protocols and common security practices, ransacking citizens’ data from federal databases despite explicit warnings regarding national security. Whistleblowers revealed that DOGE uploaded live copies of sensitive information, exposing national vulnerabilities and raising questions of legal liability. Musk’s departure after a public fallout with President Trump left DOGE staffers fearing prosecution.

In the business sector, ransomware group Clop extorted dozens of organizations after exploiting a zero-day flaw in Oracle E-Business Suite. By leveraging this unknown vulnerability, Clop accessed sensitive employee and executive data from various enterprises, universities, hospitals, and media organizations. Oracle, only discovering the exploit in October, struggled to close the gap while attackers had already compromised significant datasets.

Similarly, Salesforce customers suffered when hackers, using breaches at Salesloft and Gainsight, accessed a billion records of customer data from Salesforce’s cloud. Well-known companies like Google, Verizon, and LinkedIn were among those impacted. The hacking collective Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters published information about the stolen records online for ransom, and new victims are still being identified.

Global Cyberattacks Disrupting Industries and Economies

The U.K. retail sector experienced devastating hacks. This year, attackers stole data from Marks & Spencer and over 6.5 million Co-op customer records, causing operational outages and empty store shelves. Luxury retailer Harrods also fell victim. Jaguar Land Rover, a major U.K. employer, suffered a cyberattack in September that halted production for months. This disruption forced a government bailout of £1.5 billion, supporting both employees and affected suppliers. Security experts described it as the most economically damaging cyberattack in U.K. history, indicating that disruption can be more lucrative for hackers than stolen data alone.

South Korea was hit by a data breach every month in 2025, exposing millions of citizens’ personal data due to poor security at large tech and telecom firms. SK Telecom’s hack led to 23 million records being exposed, while a massive data center fire erased years of backup-less government data. The largest breach involved Coupang, often called Asia’s Amazon, which lost 33 million customers’ data over several months before the compromise was discovered—ultimately prompting the CEO’s resignation.

While each incident showed different tactics and targets, collectively, they prove that sophisticated attacks are now damaging societies as much as companies, making cybersecurity an urgent priority worldwide.

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