Zeba Siddiqui
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE:) said on Friday it was investigating a data breach at its Ticketmaster unit discovered on May 20, the latest in a string of high-profile corporate hacks over the past year.
In a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Live Nation said it detected “unauthorized activity” in a third-party cloud database that primarily contained Ticketmaster data and was working with forensic experts.
Last week, a little-known group of cybercriminals called ShinyHunters claimed to have stolen the user data of more than 500 million Ticketmaster customers, according to various media reports.
Live Nation did not mention ShinyHunters in its SEC filing.
The company did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The breach came as the concert promoter battled regulatory scrutiny over antitrust concerns. Live Nation was hit last week by the first wave of consumer antitrust lawsuits after the U.S. government and states filed a lawsuit to break up the firm, alleging that, along with its Ticketmaster unit, the company illegally inflated concert ticket prices.
Live Nation said in a statement that on May 27, “a criminal offered what he claimed was the company’s user data for sale on the dark web.”
“We are working to reduce the risks to our users and the Company and have notified and are cooperating with law enforcement authorities,” the company said. “Where appropriate, we also notify regulators and users of unauthorized access to personal information.”
The company said the violation did not and is not likely to have a material impact on Live Nation’s business or financial performance.
“We continue to assess the risks and our efforts to remediate the situation continue,” Live Nation said.