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The Largest Hacks and Data Breaches in World History

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The Largest Hacks and Data Breaches in World History

The Largest Hacks and Data Breaches in World History

View the awesome interactive version of this infographic at Information is Beautiful.

There has always been a fascination with the hacker – it is because the information era gives one person acting alone the capability to breach the security of the biggest corporations, banks, governments, or even celebrities. Movies such as War Games and Hackers brought the hacker to pop culture as far back as 1983, but we haven’t heard too much about hackers and the theft of data in the news until more recently.

It was finally in 2004 that it was brought to the forefront. A former America Online software engineer stole 92 million screen names and email addresses and sold them to spammers. This led to 7 billion unsolicited emails. However, data theft and hacks would continue to get much more frequent, and much more malevolent. Even stalwarts such as the US Military, AT&T, Ebay, Adobe, and Target would be affected.

Within the last year, a string of high profile cases have made waves. The Sony Pictures hack took over 100 terabytes of data, including unreleased films and scripts, sensitive business documents and emails, and social security numbers. Before that, malware installed on cash register systems across 2,200 Home Depot stores syphoned credit card details of up to 56 million customers. Even America’s biggest banks are not hack proof – criminals gained highest level administrative access to JP Morgan Chase’s most sensitive servers, and stole account information such as email addresses, phone numbers, names, and more.

The above infographic is accurate up to early February with the biggest hacks and breaches (by # of records stolen).

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Mapped: Internet Download Speeds by Region

North America and East Asia have the speediest internet.

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Map illustrating median download speeds in each global region.

Mapped: Internet Download Speeds by Region

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

In today’s fast-paced world, internet speed isn’t just a convenience—it’s the driving force behind how we work, play, and connect.

In this map, we illustrate median download speeds in each global region, based on data from the World Bank’s Digital Progress and Trends Report 2023.

North America and East Asia Have the Speediest Internet

According to the World Bank, download speeds in high-income countries increased significantly between 2019 and 2023, while speeds in lower-income countries stagnated.

As of 2022, North America and East Asia have the speediest internet.

RegionMedian mobile download speed (Mb/sec)Median fixed broadband download speed (Mb/sec)
East Asia & Pacific90171
Europe & Central Asia4485
Latin America & the Caribbean2674
Middle East & North Africa3636
North America83193
South Asia2743
Sub-Saharan Africa1615

This difference in broadband speeds can mainly be attributed to investment.

In 2020, nearly 90% of global telecommunication investment came from East Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Central Asia, and North America. These regions not only concentrate the highest-income population but also the top technology hubs.

Meanwhile, low- and middle-income regions such as Latin America and the Caribbean, South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for less than 10% of total investment.

Most of the investment is directed towards fiber optic and 5G mobile networks. According to the mobile industry association GSMA, mobile operators alone are projected to invest more than $600 billion between 2022 and 2025, with 85% of the total allocated for 5G.

In 2023, broadband speeds in high-income countries were 10x faster for fixed connections, and 5x faster for mobile connections compared to those in low-income countries.

Fixed broadband connections, which provide high-speed internet to residences or businesses, reached 38% of the population in high-income countries. In comparison, fixed broadband penetration was only 4% of the population in lower-middle-income countries and almost zero in low-income countries.

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