Skip to main content

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.”

Recommended Videos

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.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

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…
FBI moves in to investigate Twitter’s massive Bitcoin hack
Twitter symbol photo. Credits: Twitter official.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is now examining the major hack that hit Twitter on Wednesday, July 17, in a bid to find out who was behind the incident, the Wall Street Journal reports

Twitter accounts belonging to Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, and Jeff Bezos, among other high-profile users of the microblogging service, were hit in a scam that involved a fake tweet encouraging followers to send payments to a Bitcoin wallet. It had some success, too, as data on Blockchain.com showed that more than $115,000 via 392 transactions was sent to the Bitcoin wallet posted in the messages.

Read more
Dozens of major Twitter accounts hacked in massive Bitcoin scam
Twitter Bitcoin

Update: Late Wednesday night, Twitter revealed what it knows so far about the hack that targeted dozens of high-profile accounts on its service -- and it isn't much.

Dozens of high-profile Twitter accounts were seemingly hacked in a massive Bitcoin scam on Wednesday afternoon, with each account tweeting out messages offering anyone thousands of dollars worth of cryptocurrency. After more than an hour, the social network disabled tweeting from verified accounts in order to stop the message from spreading.

Read more
Ethereum vs. Bitcoin: What’s the difference?
ethereum vs bitcoin bitcoinethereum01

Cryptocurrencies can be a little confusing. Are they digital money or more like gold? Are they a new way to pay for things online or a way to store value? Those aren't easy questions to answer when you're talking about hundreds of different cryptocurrencies, some old, some new, and some very different from the rest. When you focus Ethereum versus Bitcoin, though, there are some stark, apparent differences.

Their age is the most obvious, with Bitcoin having entered this world as the very first global cryptocurrency in 2009 and Ethereum only showing up in 2015 as a potential alternative. Although it is less proven than its predecessor, Ethereum does have a few nifty features that give it a lot more potential than its older sibling in some key areas. For this guide, we'll look at two shared aspects of the cryptocurrencies: Their ability to act as a store of value and as transactional mediums. We'll also take a look at some of the unique features which make them stand apart.

Read more