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Ticketfly goes offline after refusing to pay hacker’s Bitcoin ransom

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Ticketfly has been down since Thursday, May 31, after a hacker had digitally attacked the Eventbrite-owned ticketing website and leaked stolen customer information. The hacker who called himself IsHakdz vandalized the site by replacing the website’s content with an image of Guy Fawkes from the film V for Vendetta along with the phrase “Your security down I’m not sorry.” The page also contained links to files allegedly containing customer information, prompting Eventbrite to temporarily shut down Ticketfly until the security situation could be assessed and resolved.

“Following recent site issues, we determined that Ticketfly has been the target of a cyber incident,” the company said in a statement. “To protect our clients and fans, and to secure the website and related data, we have temporarily taken all Ticketfly systems offline.”

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In addition to breaching Ticketfly while keeping the site’s HTTPS certificate intact, the hack also affected Brooklyn Bowl, Pear Street Warehouse, and Lafayette Theater, according to The Verge. And because Ticketfly was unable to comment on what information may have been compromised during this attack, if you’ve recently made any transactions through Tickefly or any of the affected sites, you may want to keep an eye on your credit card statements and credit report. Motherboard was able to confirm that home addresses, emails, and telephone numbers of customers were part of the files leaked by the IsHakdz. Additionally, the hacker said that he may release more stolen information on his website, PCMag reported.

The hacker claimed to have initially warned Ticketfly about the site’s vulnerability that would allow him to take control of the site and all its database, but he demanded a payment of one Bitcoin to reveal the details. Ticketfly didn’t reply, and it appears that the hacker went ahead and put his knowledge to use in hacking Ticketfly’s site, Motherboard reported.

If you had purchased a ticket for an upcoming event from Ticketfly, a support page notes that these tickets may be available at the door. You’ll need three forms of ID, Ticketfly advised, which includes an original photo ID and a copy of the printed digital ticket. If you’re not the original purchaser, you’ll also need a note from the buyer authorizing you to pick up the tickets.

Chuong Nguyen
Silicon Valley-based technology reporter and Giants baseball fan who splits his time between Northern California and Southern…
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