DOGE and the year of record-breaking data breaches

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE, a US government entity led by Elon Musk) is at the center of a potential record-breaking data breach involving the Social Security database. According to two of the top House Democrats investigating some of DOGE’s activities, the exposure of the government’s Social Security database “could very well be the largest data breach in our nation’s history.” The lawmakers’ scrutiny follows allegations that DOGE uploaded a live copy of the Social Security database to an unsecured third-party server.

Beyond government agencies, a series of hacks have exposed millions of records and disrupted systems. In March, Iranian hackers targeted Stryker, a medical technology company. In April, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) declared a “major cyber incident” after a surveillance system breach that potentially exposed phone numbers of targets under surveillance, including pen register returns (records of outgoing phone numbers dialed from a specific line). Meanwhile, the hacking group ShinyHunters breached Instructure, an education technology company, targeting its Canvas learning management system to steal personal data belonging to over 30 million students and staff. The same group has been linked to other breaches, including some 40 million records from Charter and at least 6 million customer records from Carnival. Additionally, over two million people’s personal documents have been exposed across various services. Toymaker Hasbro also faced downtime following a security incident, with recovery underway as of mid-May.

The threat landscape is increasingly geopolitical, characterized by hybrid warfare targeting critical infrastructure and supply chains. In Europe, cyberattacks have hit energy grids and water systems in Poland, alongside a Swedish thermal plant and a Norwegian dam. Now, there are warnings that Iranian hackers are targeting critical infrastructure in the United States, amid broader conflicts involving the U.S., Israel, and Iran in the Middle East. The shift toward active disruption highlights how digital fronts are increasingly integrated into physical geopolitical tensions.

Why it matters

The series of cybersecurity breaches in 2026 illustrates a shift toward more destructive attacks on critical infrastructure, government agencies, and supply chains. These incidents demonstrate that digital vulnerabilities now carry immediate, real-world operational and geopolitical consequences.