June 2025 witnessed a surge in cyberattacks that targeted global corporations, public institutions, and critical infrastructure, underscoring the evolving threat landscape. From massive data breaches to ransomware incidents, this month highlighted the urgent need for reinforced digital defenses across industries. Here’s a comprehensive look at the most significant cyberattacks that shook the cybersecurity world in June 2025.
Massive Credential Dumps Shake the Web
The month kicked off with an unprecedented leak of over 16 billion login credentials, marking one of the largest known compilations of data stolen through infostealer malware. This staggering dataset included user information from major platforms like Google, Apple, Facebook, Telegram, and GitHub. Analysts labeled the breach a “cybercriminal’s dream,” warning of a long-term threat to individuals and organizations relying on password-based security.
Additionally, a separate breach exposed 184 million plaintext passwords due to a misconfigured cloud database, further emphasizing the risks of weak infrastructure management and poor data protection practices.
Major Corporate & Institutional Breaches
Several high-profile companies and institutions fell victim to sophisticated cyberattacks this month:
- Aflac, a leading U.S. insurance provider, was attacked by the notorious Scattered Spider group. Sensitive data including Social Security numbers and insurance claims were compromised, although internal defenses helped contain the intrusion swiftly.
- At Columbia University, a breach led to the exfiltration of 460 GB of sensitive data—including personal records and admissions files. Over 1.8 million Social Security numbers were leaked, and investigators believe the motivation may have been tied to targeted political agendas.
- Qantas, Australia’s flagship airline, suffered a third-party platform breach exposing customer names, frequent flyer details, and contact data. Scattered Spider was once again suspected, suggesting a focused campaign targeting aviation and travel sectors.
- Zoomcar, India’s largest car-sharing platform, announced that 8.4 million user records were compromised in a breach that revealed personally identifiable information such as names, phone numbers, and vehicle registration details.
- The Brisbane Entertainment Centre disclosed unauthorized access to internal HR systems and confirmed the theft of staff data, affecting both current and former employees.
- A ransomware attack on Surya Shakti Infotech, an Indian IT services company, resulted in the destruction of critical student admission data and attempted extortion.
- A separate leak involving CetDigit (Cetrix) made 19.2 million records available for sale on the dark web, compromising both personal and enterprise data.
- Disneyland Paris was indirectly affected when its contractor was hit by Anubis ransomware, leading to the leak of nearly 40,000 internal engineering files.
Infrastructure & Supply Chain Under Siege
Critical infrastructure and supply chain systems were not spared:
- The Salt Typhoon espionage campaign exploited a Cisco router vulnerability to infiltrate telecom networks in Canada. The attackers maintained covert access for months, demonstrating the growing sophistication of state-sponsored threats.
- UNFI, a major food distribution company, was hit by ransomware, disrupting operations at locations supplying Whole Foods and other retailers.
- A leak of alleged T-Mobile customer records (reportedly 64 million) appeared on dark web forums, though the telecom giant denied any breach. Security experts remain skeptical.
- TxDOT (Texas Department of Transportation) confirmed unauthorized access to nearly 300,000 crash reports due to a compromised internal user account.
- In South Korea, Yes24, a popular e-commerce and ticketing platform, faced prolonged disruptions from a ransomware attack that brought down essential services.
- Hawaiian Airlines and WestJet faced suspicious IT outages within days of each other. Though officially listed as “technical issues,” experts suspect coordinated ransomware campaigns.
Key Takeaways
- Credential leaks are escalating in size and scale, emphasizing the need for stronger password management and two-factor authentication.
- Scattered Spider remains one of the most dangerous threat actors in 2025, leveraging advanced social engineering tactics.
- Ransomware campaigns continue to evolve, now targeting educational institutions, food distributors, and travel ecosystems.
- Misconfigured cloud infrastructure is proving to be one of the weakest links, leading to extensive data exposure.
- Supply chain vulnerabilities are increasingly targeted, often via indirect third-party connections.
Recommended Actions
- Implement passwordless login or multi-factor authentication (MFA) to counter credential stuffing.
- Maintain offline data backups and test restoration processes regularly.
- Train teams in social engineering and phishing detection.
- Conduct third-party risk assessments to evaluate vendor security practices.
- Regularly patch infrastructure, especially network devices like routers and firewalls.
- Audit and secure cloud configurations to prevent accidental exposure.
References
- https://www.tomsguide.com/news/live/16-billion-passwords-data-breach
- https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/technology/tech-news/urgent-cyber-warning-for-americans-184-million-passwords-leaked-are-you-at-risk/articleshow/121547693.cms
- https://www.theverge.com/analysis/703232/columbia-hack-admissions-data-mamdani
- https://nypost.com/2025/06/20/business/aflac-customer-data-breached-by-cybercriminals-in-hit-to-us-insurers
- https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/hacking/disappointing-frustrating-how-qantas-data-breach-exposes-deep-flaws-in-australias-cyber-defences/news-story/5cf98c27fafe39f5ba228eb6eb909964
- https://www.couriermail.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-qld/former-and-current-staff-at-brisbane-entertainment-centre-cyber-attack/news-story/f561935413d9bcb6515d8b5ebaefaef1
- https://cybersecuritynews.com/weekly-cybersecurity-news-recap
- https://sharkstriker.com/blog/top-data-breaches-of-2025-so-far
- https://strobes.co/blog/top-6-data-breaches-in-june-2025-that-made-headlines
- https://blog.senthorus.ch/posts/10_16_06_2025
- https://blog.tmcnet.com/blog/rich-tehrani/security/the-biggest-cybersecurity-breaches-of-june-2025.html
- https://cert.europa.eu/publications/threat-intelligence/cb25-07