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Looking at the biggest data breaches of 2025 tells us this right away: It’s already been a busy year for cyber crime! Ransomware fees are at record highs. Artificial intelligence accelerates the creation and hones the efficiency of malware attacks. The average data breach now costs over $5 million.
PowerSchool Data Breach
On December 28, 2024, cloud-based educational software provider PowerSchool suffered a significant data breach, which they disclosed on January 7, 2025.
The breach affected over 70 million individuals, including 62.4 million students and 9.5 million teachers. Hackers accessed the system using stolen credentials and extracted data from PowerSIS databases. Compromised data included personal information such as grades, medical information, and Social Security numbers.
What did they do to help remediate some of the damage? PowerSchool offered two years of free identity theft protection and credit monitoring to those affected by the data breach.
Take immediate action if you receive notification that your private information has been compromised in a larger data breach. The faster you react to an incident, the quicker you jumpstart remediation tactics. Change your username and passwords and any other website that shares your credentials. Use a secure, encrypted password manager to help generate and store unique, complex credentials for every account you create.
WhatsApp Spyware Hack
In early 2025, Meta confirmed a sophisticated zero-click attack on WhatsApp users. The attack was carried out using Graphite spyware, which Israel-based Paragon Solutions developed. It targeted around 90 high-risk users, including journalists and civil society members.
What does “zero-click” mean? In this attack, hackers do not interact with the victim; hence, there are zero clicks between them. Instead, they embed the malware within one-time requests, attachments and downloads, social media and SMS messages, and even phone calls. This is one of many reasons you should not pick up unknown calls, answer random texts, or download unsolicited files!
In this case, the Graphite spyware gained full access to a compromised device, allowing attackers to read encrypted messages, monitor calls, and track locations. Meta has since issued a cease and desist letter to Paragon Solutions and is exploring further legal action.
U.S. Department of Defense Credentials Stolen Make the List of Biggest Data Breaches
In 2025, hundreds of United States DoD personnel’s credentials were found for sale on the Dark Web. This breach highlights the rising threat of credential-based attacks, which have surged by 442% in the second half of 2024.
High-profile attacks like this are particularly worrisome for the victims. Stolen government credentials could allow adversaries to access critical networks and compromise additional systems. Affected users were advised to update their passwords immediately and conduct forensic investigations to determine the extent of the breach.
Instances like these demonstrate exactly why Dark Web Monitoring software (like ours) is so essential for robust cyber-defense. Continuous monitoring of the dark marketplace allows instant, automatic notification when your PII is available for sale. When your personal information has been exposed, time is literally the essence. You want to react quickly to change your credentials, monitor your credit, and re-secure your accounts.
Mars Hydro IoT Records Exposure
Mars Hydro, a Chinese manufacturer of IoT-enabled grow lights, experienced a massive data breach in February 2025. An unprotected database exposed 2.7B records, including user information, device logs, network details, and cloud API data. This breach left millions of smart devices vulnerable to hacking, which allowed attackers to manipulate grow lights remotely, gain access to home networks, and track user behaviors online.
The database has since been secured, but the lack of immediate transparency raises concerns about potential long-term consequences for affected users. This breach demonstrates why being open and honest in a breach scenario is important. Data leaks can deeply affect trust and reputation, and it’s likewise important to do your research and place your trust (and PII) in brands with good reputations and a history of trustworthiness and honesty.
In our modern age of global interconnection, data breaches can’t be avoided. What’s more important is being open about cyber events and reassuring consumers about all the steps being taken to remediate the incident.
Cyber attacks occur every 39 seconds. With today’s threat tactics and tools, the chances of your information being directly involved in a data breach or a larger leak are high. Keeping up to date with changing best practices will help you stay more cyber-safe daily.
Biggest Data Breaches of 2025 in January 2026?
Do you want to make the list of the biggest data breaches of 2025 at the end of the year? Commonwealth Sentinel can assist your organization in staying secure by implementing robust password policies, utilizing practical multi-factor authentication tools, and providing comprehensive cyber training for your entire staff. It only takes one lucky cyber criminal to cause damage, so your team must always remain vigilant. To schedule a consultation, click here or contact us at (502) 320-9885.
At Commonwealth Sentinel, we are focused on cyber security so that you can focus on other things.