The ticketing agency, Ticketmaster, has recently released a warning to customers that their private details may have been breached due to a software hack. The company, which sells entertainment and sporting tickets globally, has revealed that more than 40,000 of their UK customers may have had their information compromised.
After being aware of the attack for around five days, Ticketmaster has identified in their statement two groups of customers who may be affected by the data breach:
- Any customers from the UK who purchased, or tried to purchase, tickets from the site between February 2017 to 23rd June 2018;
- International customers who purchased, or tried to purchase, tickets from the site between September 2017 to 23rd June 2018.
Despite this, Ticketmaster insists that only 5% of its global customer base has been affected by the cyber attack, and that no North American customers are at risk. The Notifiable Data Breach scheme introduced on 22nd February has compelled Ticketmaster to report this incident to Australian customers.
The malicious software may give hackers access to the personal information of customers, including names, banking details, addresses, email addresses, telephone numbers and login details. Ticketmaster has recommended that customers monitor their accounts and statements thoroughly for any evidence of fraud or identity theft, and to change their passwords immediately.
The attack came through a third-party supplier known as Inbeta Technologies, which provided Ticketmaster with software for ‘live chat’ windows on their website. Unsurprisingly, third-party data breaches have been identified as a growing area of concern for cybersecurity.
Indeed, experts have predicted exactly this outcome. In their 2018 cybersecurity report, AON stated that because more large companies are working with smaller businesses, “hackers will pinpoint [the] smaller businesses that utilise IoT platforms and devices to gain entry into larger businesses” and therefore bring them down.
If you want to learn more about how to keep your personal information safe, how to enhance the risk management of your organisation and protect your business from cyber attacks, contact Agilient today.