Ticketmaster Customers Warned of Hack and Identity Theft Risks
Ticketmaster customers in North America have recently received emails alerting them to a hack that occurred in May, urging them to take action to protect themselves against identity theft and fraud. The company has not provided details on the notification process, but similar emails have reportedly been sent to customers in Canada, the US, and Mexico.
The hack resulted in the theft of personal details of 560 million Ticketmaster customers worldwide, with cyber criminals attempting to sell this information online. While Ticketmaster has not explained the delay in notifying customers about the breach, one email mentioned ongoing police investigations as the reason for the delay.
Although hackers managed to steal encrypted credit card details, Ticketmaster has not disclosed the level of security of the encryption. The company has advised customers to monitor their online accounts for any suspicious activity and sign up for identity monitoring services, which Ticketmaster is covering the cost for.
The group responsible for the hack, known as ShinyHunters, offered the stolen data for sale on a hacking forum for $500,000. It was later revealed that the hackers obtained login details from Snowflake, the cloud storage provider used by Ticketmaster, as well as over 160 other clients of Snowflake. Banking group Santander was also affected, with 30 million customers in Chile, Spain, and Uruguay falling victim to the hack.
Despite the breach, Ticketmaster’s owner Live Nation stated that the incident would not have a significant impact on its business. The company has yet to respond to requests for comment from journalists regarding the hack.
