Adrian Johnson
TLDR:
- Ticketmaster customers in North America have been notified about a hack that occurred in May, compromising personal and payment information of 560 million customers worldwide.
- The hackers responsible for the breach, a group called ShinyHunters, are attempting to sell the stolen data online for $500,000.
Full Article:
Ticketmaster customers in North America have been sent emails alerting them to take action after the company’s hack in May that compromised personal and payment information of approximately 560 million customers globally. The company has not specified why it took so long to notify customers about the breach, which was initially revealed by the hackers themselves.
The hackers, known as ShinyHunters, advertised offering the stolen data for $500,000 on a hacking forum. It was later discovered that the hackers gained access to Ticketmaster’s data by stealing login credentials from Snowflake, Ticketmaster’s cloud storage provider. In total, over 160 other Snowflake clients were also targeted in similar attacks.
Despite the breach, Ticketmaster’s parent company, Live Nation, downplayed the impact on its business in a notice to shareholders. The company has urged customers to monitor their online accounts and sign up for identity monitoring services, which Ticketmaster is covering the cost for.
The hackers not only stole names and basic contact details but also encrypted credit card information. However, the company has not clarified the level of encryption security in place. There is concern that the stolen data could lead to secondary hacking or fraud attempts, although there is currently little evidence of this occurring at scale.
