Leaks, data breaches, and ransom notes: The worst hacks of 2026 so far
TechCrunch's 2026 roundup covers SSA data exposure, Iranian water-utility attacks, Klue breach hitting ~200 firms, and Meta AI chatbot account hijacks.
TechCrunch's mid-year roundup highlights a whistleblower claim that DOGE uploaded a live Social Security database copy to an unsecured third-party server, which House Democrats called potentially the largest US breach in history. CISA reported Iranian hackers targeted over 100 US water providers over the summer, while Russian-linked attacks hit Polish, Swedish, and Norwegian energy and water infrastructure. Market research firm Klue was breached via a stale 2022 pilot credential, exposing cloud keys of ~200 customers including Jamf, HackerOne, and LastPass to extortion gang Icarus. Separately, tens of thousands of Instagram accounts were hijacked by abusing Meta's AI chatbot to trigger password resets to attacker-controlled emails.
Week in review: AiTM phishing kit used to hijack AWS accounts, year-long malware campaign targets HR
Pharmaceutical giant McKesson warns of 'service degradation' following cyberattack
Pharmaceutical giant McKesson disclosed a cyberattack on a third-party application that exfiltrated customer data, claimed by ShinyHunters.
McKesson reported a cybersecurity incident involving an unnamed third-party application, with attackers exfiltrating data tied to its oncology and surgical business units. The company filed with the SEC, offered credit monitoring, and said it had received reasonable assurance the attackers were no longer inside its systems. The ShinyHunters group claimed responsibility and threatened leaks; McKesson reported $106 billion in revenue last quarter and distributes about one-third of North American prescriptions.