British auction house Christie's is notifying people affected by a recent data breach by the RansomHub ransomware gang .
Christie's discovered that some of its systems had been compromised on May 9, 2024. It immediately took steps to secure its network and hired external cybersecurity to assist in the investigation into the incident. Law enforcement was also notified of the breach.
In analyzing the attack, Christie's found that a data breach also occurred, with attackers accessing and exporting client records between May 8 and May 9.
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Following the investigation, Christie’s reviewed the compromised records to identify individuals whose information may have been affected. The investigation was completed on May 30. Data breach notification letters, now being sent to affected individuals, state that the auction house “is not aware of any attempted misuse of information as a result of this incident. We have taken additional measures to secure systems and continue to evaluate technical and organizational measures to avoid a similar incident from happening again.”
Christie's is also offering affected customers a complimentary 12-month subscription to CyEx Identity Defense Total, a service for identity theft protection and fraud monitoring
RansomHub claims responsibility for Christie's data breach
Although Christie's did not name the attackers, the RansomHub gang added it data breach portal dark web, claiming it had breached its systems and stolen sensitive customer data.
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The cybercriminals claimed to have obtained the full names, addresses, ID details and other sensitive personal information of at least 500,000 Christie’s customers. Shortly afterwards, the gang said it had sold the stolen data.
RansomHub is a relatively new group that demands ransom payments from victims in exchange for not leaking files stolen during attacks. If negotiations fail, it often auctions off the stolen files to the highest bidder.
The Christie's data breach has many consequences for art collector clients, the most significant of which is the loss of their privacy. The disclosure of personal data can lead to a breach of their privacy and expose them to unwanted publicity. Their reputations can be seriously damaged.
See also: Data breach affects Toshiba America
Disclosing sensitive information can damage their professional and social image, affecting their relationships with other collectors, galleries and auction houses.
Making their details public could make them targets for fraud or blackmail, as well as affect the value of their collections.
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Source: www.bleepingcomputer.com
