On 20 May 2024 Live Nation, the parent company of Ticketmaster, claims to have identified unauthorised activity within a third-party cloud database, provided by cloud storage and analytics company Snowflake. The threat actors say they have stolen over 1.3 terabytes of information, such as the names, addresses, phone numbers, and partial payment details of over 500 million Ticketmaster customers. They are believed to now be offering this data for sale through illicit channels. It is yet unclear whether this extends to UK based customers.
The threat actors allegedly gained access to Snowflake’s systems using infostealers. Infostealers (being an information stealer) is a malicious program designed to siphon information from a system, whilst appearing completely benign.
Snowflake accepts that infostealers were used to gain access to a demo account belonging to a former employee, and that this was possible because the demo account did not have multi-factor authentication. However, it says that the demo account was not connected to Snowflake’s production or corporate systems – suggesting that this could not have been the point of compromise.
A lot of questions remain unanswered. However, if personal data has been compromised, millions of users could be at risk of identity fraud or phishing scams.
Capital Law acted for the third-party provider Ticketmaster brought a claim against in relation to the breach it suffered in 2018, which was settled on confidential terms and on a non-admission basis in March 2022.
Looking forward
The breach highlights the ongoing challenges of protecting data. With Live Nation and law enforcement actively investigating and responding to the breach, the focus remains on mitigating risks and ensuring the safety of affected users.
The key advisories being published include re-setting credentials for active accounts, disabling non-active accounts, enabling multi-factor authentication and reviewing user activity.
If you need additional information or support in your situation, our technology team can help. Get in touch with our team of expert lawyers for bespoke advice.
