Disney probes data breach as hackers expose alleged internal communications online

The Wall Street Journal, which first broke the story, has reviewed several of the leaked files. (Image credit: Files)

In a concerning development, Disney is currently investigating a significant breach of its internal Slack channels. The hacker group Nullbulge claims to have infiltrated these channels, extracting and leaking over 1 terabyte of sensitive data.

Nullbulge, a self-proclaimed "hacktivist" group, states that its mission is to "protect artists' rights and ensure fair compensation for their work." To substantiate their claims, the group has shared screenshots of documents they allegedly obtained. These documents, posted on social media platform X, include traffic and revenue data for Disneyland Paris, along with details about a new streaming feature designed to recommend Disney content based on viewers' previous watch history. Nullbulge has also threatened to release the entire cache of stolen data online. Their latest blog post indicates that the compromised data encompasses information about unreleased projects, raw images, and computer code.

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The Wall Street Journal, which first broke the story, has reviewed several of the leaked files. These files contain discussions on maintaining Disney's corporate website, software development projects, candidate evaluations for employment, leadership programs at ESPN, and even personal photos of employees' dogs. The data reportedly spans back to at least 2019.

"Disney is investigating this matter," a company spokesperson said.

This incident is particularly unsettling for Disney, considering its vast array of businesses, including Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, Disney+, Hulu, ESPN, and its theme parks. The memory of the Sony Pictures hack a decade ago looms large. That breach, still regarded as the most significant corporate data leak in U.S. history, exposed years of emails that ranged from trivial to deeply embarrassing, leading to significant fallout. High-profile names like Angelina Jolie, Rooney Mara, and even President Barack Obama were mentioned in the leaked communications. The hack severely disrupted Sony's operations, forcing manual payroll processing and culminating in the resignation of co-CEO Amy Pascal.

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Disney now faces a similar threat, with the potential for far-reaching consequences. As the investigation unfolds, the entertainment giant is likely bracing for the full impact of this breach.