A hacking group has claimed that they breached Ticketmaster’s cybersecurity, and now the data of half a billion people could be at risk – if it really happened.
ShinyHunters Claim Massive Data Breach
A hacking group named ShinyHunters has claimed that it breached live entertainment ticketing company Ticketmaster, and subsequently stole the personal information of over half a billion customers.
1.3 Terabytes of Data
The group has allegedly procured 1.3 terabytes of data from the breach, according to a post made on the black-hat hacking crime forum BreachForums on Thursday.
“One-Time Sale”
ShinyHackers used the forum to advertise the data in a “one-time sale” that would cost $500,000, either as a ransom to prevent the information from being sold or as a price for cybercriminals who might want to exploit the stolen customer information.
Specific Details Stolen
Allegedly the stolen information from the 560 million customers included full names, home addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, and partial credit card information amongst other details.
One of the Biggest Data Breaches in History?
If proven to be true, it could be one of the most significant cybersecurity breaches in history due to the extraordinary number of people affected.
Australian Home Affairs Department Investigates
The Australian government is now investigating the claim alongside Ticketmaster, according to a statement from the Australia Home Affairs Department.
National Office of Cybersecurity
“The Australian Government is aware of a cyber incident impacting Ticketmaster,” a department spokesperson said. “The National Office of Cyber Security is engaging with Ticketmaster to understand the incident.”
FBI Offers Help
While the FBI has told reporters that it “has no comment on this matter,” the US agency has extended offers of assistance to the Australian government, which was confirmed by a spokesperson for the US Embassy in Canberra.
No Comment from Ticketmaster
So far neither Ticketmaster nor its parent company LiveNation have publicly acknowledged the report or confirmed its veracity.
A Difficult Position
Security researcher Kevin Beaumont described Ticketmaster’s position as a difficult one. “If Ticketmaster has had a breach of this scale, it is important they inform customers,” he said.
Potentially False Claims
“But it is important to also consider that sometimes criminal hackers make false or inflated claims about data breaches – so people should not be overly concerned until a breach is confirmed,” Beaumont added.
“Impossible to Say”
Since there has been no official confirmation of the attack, it is impossible to say which Ticketmaster customers – if any – are at risk of cyber fraud.
Be Vigilant
“Users need to be very vigilant about their email and who they’re responding to and not giving out any information to people trying to trick them,” said Mark Lukie, an Australian cybersecurity expert and IT company director.
Risk of Identity Fraud
“This could mean the potential risk of identity fraud and we would assume this data would be used for phishing or impersonation attacks down the track,” Lukie elaborated.
A Prolific Hacker Group
ShinyHackers is a highly prolific black hat group that has been responsible for a number of cybersecurity attacks since it officially formed in 2020.
Long List of Victimized Companies
The group has breached the databases of several notable companies, including Microsoft, AT&T Wireless, Mashable, Wattpad, and more.
Difficult Month for Ticketmaster
Though there’s no telling yet if their claim is a false alarm, it’s another dose of negative publicity amidst a difficult month for Ticketmaster and Live Nation, after the US Department of Justice launched a high-profile lawsuit against both companies.
The DOJ vs Ticketmaster
The DOJ levied accusations that the ticketing company and its parent company had used covert illegal tactics to monopolize the live entertainment industry and block out competitor companies.
Claims of Market Monopoly
By taking out competition the companies had established an industry where they could inflate ticket prices at an exploitative rate all while offering worse services. The case was joined by 30 states and attorney generals.
2022 Cyber Attack
In November 2022 Ticketmaster was hit by a cyber attack, specifically bot traffic that caused a slowdown of ticket sales during the distribution of tickets for the Taylor Swift eras tour. The attack drew public outrage and condemnation from Swift fans and US lawmakers.
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