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Ticketmaster owner Live Nation confirmed “unauthorized activity” in its database after a group of hackers said they stole the personal data of 560 million customers.
ShinyHunters, the group claiming responsibility, says the stolen data included names, addresses, phone numbers and partial credit card information of 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 allegedly offered the company’s user data for sale via the dark web,” and that it was investigating.
The number of customers affected by the data breach has not been confirmed by Live Nation.
The Australian government said it is working with Ticketmaster to address the issue. The FBI has also offered to help, a spokesperson for the US embassy in Canberra told Agence France-Presse.
An FBI spokesperson told the BBC it “has no comment on this matter.”
In the filing, Live Nation said it was working to “mitigate risks to its customers” and was notifying users of the unauthorized access to their personal data.
“As of the date of this filing, the incident has not had a material impact on our overall business or on our financial condition or results of operations, nor do we believe it is reasonably likely to do so. We continue to evaluate developments. risks and our recovery efforts are ongoing,” it added.
It was confirmed that Australia’s National Office of Cyber Security is working with Ticketmaster to “understand the incident”.
The American website Ticketmaster is one of the largest online ticket sales platforms in the world.
An advertisement showing some data samples allegedly obtained in the breach was posted on the website BreachForums – a recently relaunched hacking forum on the dark web where other hackers buy and sell stolen materials and information to enable hacks.
ShinyHunters has been linked to a series of high-profile data breaches that have resulted in millions of dollars in losses for the companies involved.
In 2021, the group sold a real database containing stolen information from 70 million customers of the American telecom company AT&T.
In September last year, the data of almost 200,000 Pizza Hut customers in Australia was leaked.
The FBI cracked down on the domain in March 2023 and arrested administrator Conor Brian Fitzpatrick, but tech media say the domain has resurfaced.
Hacking forum users often increase the scale of their hacking to attract the attention of other hackers.
Large stolen databases often first appear there, but they can also contain false accusations and claims.
Individuals who have reported large amounts of data in the past appear to be duplicates from previous hacks rather than newly stolen information.
If the data hack is as massive as ShinyHunters claims, it could be the largest breach ever in terms of numbers and size of data stolen.
This isn’t the first time Ticketmaster has been hit by security issues.
In 2020, it admitted to hacking one of its competitors and agreed to pay a $10 million fine.
In November, it was hit by a cyberattack that led to problems selling tickets 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 on the live music industry.
The Justice Department’s lawsuit said the company’s practices had shut out competitors and led to higher ticket prices and poorer service for customers.
What to do if you’re worried you’re affected
Experts say it is important not to panic, but to be alert if you think you are a victim.
Beware of fake emails, messages and phone calls. Hackers can sometimes use the data they have to trick victims into disclosing more information.
In some cases, scammers try to exploit the fear caused by the hack to convince you to share information.
Be especially suspicious of:
- official-sounding messages about “resetting passwords”, “receiving compensation”, “scanning equipment” or “missed deliveries”
- emails full of ‘tech speak’, designed to sound more convincing
- are urged to take action immediately or within a limited time frame
When a hack compromised some Ticketmaster customer data in 2018, British officials also suggested users monitor their financial accounts for suspicious activity. They also recommended changing your password for Ticketmaster and on other sites that use the same password.