Ticketmaster has not confirmed the data breach, but Australian authorities and the FBI are investigating the incident.
The data of 560m people may have been affected by a breach at Ticketmaster, but the details remain unclear.
Australia’s government recently said that is investigating claims that a hacking group stole the details of up to 560m Ticketmaster users. The country’s National Office of Cyber Security is engaging with Ticketmaster to “understand the incident” and the US FBI has offered assistance, RTÉ reports.
This investigation began after a hacking group called ShinyHunters posted an offering on a dark web forum, offering to sell the batch of data for $500,000. It is unclear if this data set is real and Ticketmaster has not responded to a request for comment on the breach.
ShinyHunters is not a new entity to the cybercrime world and has been linked to multiple high-profile data breaches since 2020.
What is in the stolen data?
The hackers claim the data includes personal details on 560m Ticketmaster customers, including names, addresses, emails and phone numbers. The data also includes some information on payment cards, such as credit card expiration dates, the last four digits of the card and the names of card owners.
It is unclear if the hackers have sold any data at time of publication, or if the goal is to only sell it in a single batch.
What can this data be used for?
If the breach is real, the impacts could be lasting for affected customers. Jake Moore, global cybersecurity advisor with ESET, said the effects on customers can range from identity theft to financial fraud.
“As the sensitive information is now up for sale, those affected must remain extra careful, change their passwords and steer clear of follow-up emails, texts and calls claiming to be from companies and requesting information,” Moore said.
Ani Chaudhuri, co-founder and CEO of Dasera, advised concerned customers to “take immediate action” by monitoring their financial accounts for suspicious activity, changing the passwords for their Ticketmaster accounts and enabling multi-factor authentication where possible.
“Being vigilant about phishing attempts is also key, as hackers often use leaked information to create more elaborate and convincing scams,” Chaudhuri said. “This proactive approach puts you in control of your security rather than relying on the company.”
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