Australia’s government stated Thursday that its cyber security office is currently in contact with Ticketmaster, a US-based company, following claims made by a hacking group alleging they have accessed the personal details of 560 million global customers.
The hacking group, known as ShinyHunters, shared evidence of the hack on the dark web, along with a screenshot that has been widely circulated on social media. They claim to have obtained personal information from over half a billion clients.Â
The hackers demanded a ransom payment of US$500,000, calling it a “one-time sale”, as per their post.
The stolen data reportedly includes names, addresses, emails, phone numbers, and the last four digits of customer credit card numbers along with expiration dates.
“The National Office of Cyber Security is currently in communication with Ticketmaster to gain a better understanding of the incident,” said a spokesperson from the Australian government in a statement.Â
If individuals have specific concerns, they are advised to reach out to Ticketmaster directly.
Back in January, a French computer hacker named Sebastien Raoult, who was part of the ShinyHunters criminal group, was sentenced to three years in prison by a court in Los Angeles. He was also ordered to pay over $5 million in restitution after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
According to US prosecutors, the extensive hacking led to millions of dollars in losses for victim companies and “immeasurable additional losses” for hundreds of millions of individuals whose data was sold to other criminals.
AFP has reached out to Ticketmaster for comment.
– Hacking ‘will grow’ –
Cybersecurity professor Katina Michael from the University of Wollongong stated that hacks are affecting more people with increasingly severe consequences. She mentioned that the number of people being hacked “will grow, it could be up to one billion in the future”. Michael also warned that governments, companies, and consumers are not taking adequate steps to protect themselves or investing in basic security measures like two-factor authentication.
Ticketmaster, headquartered in California, operates one of the largest online ticket sales platforms worldwide.
Recently, the US Department of Justice filed a major antitrust lawsuit aiming to dismantle an alleged monopoly held by Live Nation Entertainment and its subsidiary Ticketmaster in the live music industry.
The pricing practices of Ticketmaster, characterized by high fees and limited alternatives, have been a subject of concern in the United States. Little action has been taken historically to introduce more competition into the market.
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