Washington Ticketmaster Customers Personal Data Was Likely Stolen

Did you get the same letter I received from Ticketmaster this weekend?

Ticketmaster Hack Released Personal Information of 500 Million Customers

This weekend, I received a letter in the mail from Ticketmaster that my information had probably been hacked. All Ticketmaster customers are shocked by news of a massive data breach affecting over 500 million accounts in a recent court filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, confirmed by Ticketmaster's parent company Live Nation Entertainment. The data breach which was allegedly executed by the hacking group ShinyHunters, gained unauthorized access to a third-party cloud database containing extensive personal information of Ticketmaster customers.

The hacking group ShinyHunters is known for targeting large corporations to obtain and sell personal records and has a long history of cyber attacks against companies like Microsoft and AT&T. The group thrives by accessing and selling sensitive data, including credit card details and personal information.

The breach was first spotted and announced on May 28 on a forum frequented by hackers where the group ShinyHunters had claimed possession of 1.3 terabytes of Ticketmaster customer data and listed it for purchase at $500,000. The Breach: Hackers allege to have obtained 1.3 terabytes of sensitive user data from Ticketmaster, including full names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and order history with ticket purchase details. The full list of the information listed was as follows:

“Payment Info: The hackers also claim to have partial payment data like the last four digits of credit card numbers and expiration dates for customers. Data For Sale: This massive cache of data is reportedly being sold by ShinyHunters on the dark web for a one-time payment of $500,000. Impact: While Ticketmaster has yet to confirm the breach, the potential exposure of personal and financial information for hundreds of millions of customers is obviously a major cause for concern. Investigation: Australia's Home Affairs Department has acknowledged a "cyber incident" affecting Ticketmaster customers, indicating they are looking into the situation. What To Do: If you've purchased tickets through Ticketmaster, it's recommended to be vigilant and watch for any suspicious activity on your accounts. Experts advise changing passwords and PINs as a precaution.”

The exact timeline of the breach remains unclear but Ticketmaster says they identified the unauthorized activity on May 20. In response to the data breach, Ticketmaster has started mitigation and is working with law enforcement and regulatory authorities to catch the people responsible. Live Nation says the breach would not significantly impact its operations or financial status. As a Ticketmaster customer, I am upset it took over 1 month to alert us about the data breach. It would have been nice to know ASAP instead of an entire 30 days. If you are concerned about your data, I included some important contact information in a picture below which was included at the end of the letter. Good luck!