The Australian government stated that it was looking into allegations of a significant cybercrime attributed to a hacking collective.
In an online forum, the collective known as Shiny Hunters claimed responsibility for the theft of information belonging to 560 million customers of the global events company Ticketmaster.
Shiny Hunters stated that the compromised data comprised customers’ names, addresses, phone numbers, and partial credit card information. They mentioned that this data was offered for sale at a price of US$500,000 for a “one-time sale.”
The Australian government released a statement indicating that it was in communication with Ticketmaster to comprehend the situation. It encouraged individuals with specific questions to reach out to the company directly.
According to a spokesperson from the US Embassy in Australia, speaking to the news agency AFP, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) extended support to Canberra regarding the incident.
Headquartered in California, Ticketmaster operates one of the globe’s largest online ticket sales platforms.
Shiny Hunters gained attention by releasing extensive collections of customer data from more than 60 companies, as per the US Department of Justice. In January of this year, a court in Seattle sentenced Sebastien Raoult, a computer hacker affiliated with Shiny Hunters, to jail.
Raoult, a French national, received a three-year prison term and was directed to pay over $5 million in restitution after admitting guilt to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
