As of September 2023, the most significant cyberattack on U.S. government entities, in terms of number of people involved, was the 2015 data breach incident at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Another massive cyber attack was the Solar Winds supply chain attack in 2020. The attackers gained access to government networks through an IT management software vendor.
Largest cyberattacks on U.S. government entities as of September 2023
Name and date of the attack
Result of the attack
Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Breach (2015)
22 million current and former federal employees
SolarWinds Supply Chain Attack (2020)
Compromise of various government networks
Democratic National Committee (DNC) Hack (2016)
Compromise of sensitive information and documents
WannaCry Ransomware Attack (2017)
Encryption of users’ files, demanding ransom payment
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SecurityScoreCard, & Forbes. (September 9, 2023). Largest cyberattacks on U.S. government entities as of September 2023 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved August 25, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1453687/us-government-cyberattacks/
SecurityScoreCard, und Forbes. "Largest cyberattacks on U.S. government entities as of September 2023." Chart. September 9, 2023. Statista. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1453687/us-government-cyberattacks/
SecurityScoreCard, Forbes. (2023). Largest cyberattacks on U.S. government entities as of September 2023. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: August 25, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1453687/us-government-cyberattacks/
SecurityScoreCard, and Forbes. "Largest Cyberattacks on U.S. Government Entities as of September 2023." Statista, Statista Inc., 9 Sep 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1453687/us-government-cyberattacks/
SecurityScoreCard & Forbes, Largest cyberattacks on U.S. government entities as of September 2023 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1453687/us-government-cyberattacks/ (last visited August 25, 2024)
Largest cyberattacks on U.S. government entities as of September 2023 [Graph], SecurityScoreCard, & Forbes, September 9, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1453687/us-government-cyberattacks/