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Ticketmaster owner Live Nation has confirmed “unauthorized activity” in its database after a group of hackers said they stole the personal information of 560 million customers.
ShinyHunters, the group claiming responsibility, says the stolen data includes names, addresses, phone numbers and partial credit card information from Ticketmaster users around the world.
In a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Live Nation said that on May 27, “a criminal threat actor offered the company’s alleged user data for sale via the dark web” and that it was investigating.
Live Nation has not confirmed the number of customers affected by the data breach.
The Australian government said it was working with Ticketmaster to resolve the issue. The FBI has also offered to help, a spokesman for the US embassy in Canberra told Agence France-Presse.
An FBI spokesman told the BBC it had “no comment on the matter”.
Live Nation said in its filing that it is working to “mitigate risks” to its customers and that it is informing users of unauthorized access to their personal information.
“As of the date of this filing, the incident has not had, and we do not believe could have, a material impact on our overall business operations or on our financial condition or results of operations. We continue to evaluate the risks and our remedial efforts are ongoing,” he added.
Australia’s National Cyber ​​Security Authority has been confirmed to be working with Ticketmaster to “understand the incident”.
American website Ticketmaster is one of the largest online ticket sales platforms in the world.
BreachForums, a newly launched dark web hacking forum where other hackers buy and sell stolen material and hacking information, posted an ad with some samples of the data allegedly obtained in the breach.
ShinyHunters has been linked to a number of major data breaches that have resulted in millions of dollars in losses for the companies involved.
In 2021, the group sold an actual database of stolen information from 70 million customers of the American telecommunications firm AT&T.
In September last year, the data of almost 200,000 Pizza Hut customers in Australia was breached.
The FBI raided the domain in March 2023 and arrested its administrator, Conor Brian Fitzpatrick, but it has resurfaced, according to tech media.
Users of hacking forums often increase the scope of their hacking to attract the attention of other hackers.
They often feature large stolen databases for the first time, but they can also contain false accusations and claims.
Individuals who have declared large batches of data in the past have been shown to be duplicates of previous hacks rather than newly stolen information.
If the data hack is as big as ShinyHunters claims, the hack could be the most significant breach ever in terms of numbers and scope of data stolen.
This isn’t the first time Ticketmaster has been hit by security issues.
In 2020, she admitted to hacking one of her competitors and agreed to pay a $10 million fine.
In November, she was reportedly hit by a cyberattack that led to problems with ticket sales for Taylor Swift’s Era tour.
Earlier this month, US regulators sued Live Nation, accusing the entertainment giant of using illegal tactics to maintain a monopoly over the live music industry.
The Justice Department’s lawsuit said the firm’s practices prevented competitors and led to higher ticket prices and poorer customer service.
What to do if you think you have been affected
Experts say it’s important not to panic, but to be alert if you think you may be a victim.
Beware of fake emails, messages and phone calls – hackers can sometimes use details they have to trick victims into revealing more information.
In some cases, scammers may try to exploit the fear of being hacked as a way to try to get you to share information.
Be especially suspicious of:
- official-sounding messages about “resetting passwords”, “receiving compensation”, “scanning devices” or “missed deliveries”
- emails full of “tech speak”, designed to sound more convincing
- they are called upon to act immediately or within a limited time frame
In 2018, when a hack compromised some Ticketmaster customer information, UK officials also suggested users monitor their financial accounts for suspicious activity. They also recommended changing the password for Ticketmaster and any other sites using the same password.