Ticketmaster hit by cyber attack that compromised user data

(NEW YORK) — Live Nation, the parent company of Ticketmaster, revealed Friday evening that it was the victim of a cyber attack that compromised user data.

The company said in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that it discovered an “unauthorized activity within a third-party cloud database,” on May 20 and promptly launched an investigation.

A week later, “a criminal threat actor offered Live Nation what it alleged was user data for sale via the dark web, according to the filing.

“As of the date of this filing, the incident has not had, and we do not believe it is reasonably likely to have, a material impact on our overall business operations or on our financial condition or results of operations. We continue to evaluate the risks and our remediation efforts are ongoing,” Live Nation said in its filing.

The investigation is ongoing. No suspects have been officially identified.

The FBI declined ABC News’ request for comment. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The data stolen in the breach does not appear to be that serious, experts told ABC News.

No financial or medical information appears to have been stolen, according to the experts.

The experts said that customers can protect themselves from these types of online attacks by frequently changing their passwords, using two-factor authentication if available and keeping financial information private from any online solicitors.

The alleged data breach took place three days before the Justice Department and dozens of state attorneys general filed a lawsuit to break up Ticketmaster.

The suit alleged the company created a monopoly over ticket prices for live entertainment and hurt consumers.

Live Nation dismissed the suit’s allegations and said other factors are the root of higher prices, including scalpers and higher production costs.

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