Sensitive information and personal data related to members of the entertainment industry – actors, presenters, dancers, DJs and other famous artists – may have been leaked online.
Unknown hackers have broken into the computer systems of American ART (American Residuals and Talent), a payroll management service that caters to members of the SAG-AFTRA union (Singer-songwriters, Television and Radio Artists Union ) .
The SAG-AFTRA union has more than 160,000 members from the entertainment industry, including actors, presenters, dancers, DJs, magicians, editors and other artists.
The breach – which took place on October 18 and was only recently disclosed to the public – was carried out through ART’s web application, when hackers gained unauthorized access to it. The attackers then managed to “break into” a databasecontaining sensitive customer information.
Immediately after the illegal activity was detected, measures were taken to eliminate the backdoor, as well as to prevent similar incidents in the future.
According to a notification letter sent by the union to affected members, the breach lasted no more than two hours, but that was enough time for the attacker(s) to browse the sensitive database and extract valuable information. SAG-AFTRA also issued a notice regarding the unfortunate incident.
The anonymity of all those affected has been preserved, but considering that they belong to the showbiz industry, sensitive data regarding some famous names may have been exposed.
The results of the relevant investigation revealed that the leaked data included names, social security numbers, addresses, bank account details, dates of birth, email addresses, phone numbers, ART account numbers, User IDs, and passwords. At this time, there is no indication that the data has been used for malicious purposes
The association, after the incident, took measures to increase the security of its network and more effectively protect its customers' data.
