Fresh warning after Ticketek breach

Aussies have been delivered a fresh warning about how they “use the internet” after two major ticketing sites were hit by data breaches.

Ticketek suffered a data breach earlier this week, with the personal information of a number of Australians exposed.

Information such as full names, dates of birth and email addresses were stolen by a hacker.

It’s understood that the company, which is owned by TEG has reached out to affected customers overnight.

Ticketek has since confirmed that the cyber breach happened earlier this week and has notified the Australian Cyber Security Centre, the National Office of Cyber Security and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

“The available evidence at this time indicates that, from a privacy perspective, your name, date of birth and email address may have been impacted,” an email from Ticketek to affected customers states.

The breach occurred on a third party vendor that the company uses, not naming which vendor it was but that the company is “reputable”.

“Our third party supplier brought this to our attention, over the past few days we have worked diligently to put every resource into completing an investigation, so that we can communicate with you as quickly as possible,” the email reads.

“We would like to reassure you that Ticketek has secure encryption methods in place for all passwords and your Ticketek account has not been compromised. In addition, we use secure encryption methods to handle credit card information and transactions are processed via a separate payment system which has not been impacted. Ticketek does not hold identity documents for its customers.”

Minister for Cyber Security Clare O’Neil has confirmed she’s been made aware of the incident and has asked affected customers to be cautious when opening emails or answering texts.

“Don’t click on any links in emails you aren’t absolutely sure about, and if you receive an uncharacteristic email or text, be extra cautious in dealing with it,” she said.

“Data breaches are becoming more common – in Australia and around the world. That means that we all have to be more careful in how we use the internet.”

This breach is the latest in a series that’s occurred in Australia and across the globe in recent months.

It’s understood that Ticketmaster, another major ticketing company that is owned by US entertainment company Live Nation, has been hit with a breach. While the company has yet to publicly announce it, the Department of Home Affairs confirmed it with The Australian.

Minister for Defence Personnel Matt Keogh has encouraged those affected to reach out to both companies for concerns.

“I encourage people though, to directly engage with those two organisations if they’re concerned about the data breach and how that might impact them,” he said.

“The National Coordinator of Cyber Security has been working together with Ticketmaster and Ticketek to make sure that we’re completely across what has happened and are able to provide the support that they may need in dealing with this issue.”