Data stolen from 560 million Ticketmaster users by hacking group

The hacking group ShinyHunters has claimed responsibility for a hack on Ticketmaster, compromising the details of over half a billion users — equating to 1.3 terabytes of data.

According to the BBC, the data was listed for a one-time price on the recently resurfaced dark web hacking forum BreachForums (which was previously shut down in 2023). The group is now demanding a $500,000 (£400,000) ransom payment to prevent them from selling the data on to other parties.

Reports of the hack suggest that they have gained personal information such as names, addresses, emails and partial credit card details such as expiry dates and hashed card numbers.

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If verified, the data breach could represent the largest ever hacking operation due to the huge number of people affected and the extensive amount of data leaked.

The Australian Department of Home Affairs is reportedly working with Ticketmaster to “understand the incident”. The FBI have also reportedly offered their assistance to the Australian authorities.

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Ticketmaster is no stranger to hacking controversy - in 2020 it admitted to hacking Crowdsurge, a competitor and was forced to pay a $10 million fine.

The ticketing giant also said last January that sales related to Taylor Swift concerts had been disrupted by bot-driven cyber attacks.

The news comes amidst an ongoing court case against Ticketmaster by the US Department of Justice and 29 states over its alleged monopoly over ticket sales and suppression of competition.

[Via: BBC]

Jamaal Johnson is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow him on Instagram