Written by Zeba Siddiqui
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE:) said on Friday it was investigating a data breach at its Ticketmaster unit that it discovered on May 20, the latest in a series of high-profile corporate hacks in the past year.
In a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Live Nation said it had found “unauthorized activity” in a third-party cloud database containing primarily Ticketmaster data, and was working with forensic investigators.
Last week, a little-known cybercrime group called ShinyHunters said it had stolen user data for more than 500 million Ticketmaster customers, according to various media reports.
Live Nation did not mention ShinyHunters in its Securities and Exchange Commission filing.
The company did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.
The hack comes as the concert promoter faces regulatory scrutiny over antitrust concerns. Last week, Live Nation was hit with the first blow in a potential wave of consumer antitrust lawsuits after the U.S. government and states sued to break up the company, arguing that along with its Ticketmaster unit, the company was illegally inflating concert ticket prices.
On May 27, “a criminal threat actor offered what he claimed to be company user data for sale via the dark web,” Live Nation said in its filing.
“We are working to mitigate risks to our users and the company, and we have notified and are cooperating with law enforcement,” the company said. “As appropriate, we also notify regulatory authorities and users regarding unauthorized access to personal information.”
The company said the breach has not had and is unlikely to have a material impact on Live Nation's business or financials.
“We are continuing to assess the risks and our remedial efforts are ongoing,” Live Nation said.