Ticketmaster has alerted North American customers to potential identity theft and fraud following a significant data breach in May. The company sent emails to Canadian users, urging vigilance and action to safeguard personal information.
The breach compromised the personal details of 560 million customers globally. Hackers, identified as the group ShinyHunters, are reportedly selling the stolen data online for $500,000. The stolen information includes names, contact details, and encrypted credit card details, though the security of the encryption remains unclear.
Ticketmaster is advising affected customers to monitor their online accounts and bank statements for suspicious activity. The company is also providing identity monitoring services for one year to Canadian customers, which will alert them if their information appears on the dark web.
The breach was initially disclosed by the hackers and later confirmed by Ticketmaster in a notice to shareholders. The hack stemmed from stolen login details of Snowflake, Ticketmaster’s cloud storage provider. More than 160 other Snowflake clients, including banking group Santander, were similarly targeted.
Despite the scale of the breach, Ticketmaster’s owner, Live Nation, has stated that the incident will not materially impact its business. The company has yet to respond to multiple requests for comment regarding the delay in notifying customers and the specifics of the compromised data.
