A significant cybersecurity breach has resulted in the exposure of personal data for thousands of Nine Entertainment’s newspaper subscribers. Approximately 16,000 subscribers to The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and The Financial Review were affected. Their names, postal addresses, and email addresses were left visible online due to a lapse in the protection of data held by a third-party supplier. The breach was discovered by a security researcher, who alerted Nine Entertainment to the issue after noticing the data was not safeguarded to the company’s strict internal data protocols.
Nine Entertainment clarified that no payment details or passwords were compromised in the breach.
The personal data exposed was limited to basic subscriber information, including names, email addresses, and postal addresses. According to Nine, the breach occurred because of an unauthorized change made by the third-party supplier to the security measures protecting the subscriber data. Despite this vulnerability, Nine ensured that no breach took place within its own internal technology infrastructure.
Upon being informed of the breach, Nine Entertainment acted quickly to address the issue by working with the third-party supplier to resolve the situation.
The company took immediate action to ensure the exposed data was no longer accessible online. Nine also reassured affected subscribers by confirming that they were being contacted directly to inform them of the breach and to mitigate any potential risks. Although no sensitive financial information was exposed, the breach has heightened concerns about the potential for subscribers to be targeted by cyberattacks.
This breach comes just two days after another cybersecurity incident where 9,000 sensitive court files were downloaded from the NSW Courts online registry. Both of these breaches highlight the growing challenges faced by organizations in safeguarding sensitive personal and legal data. They underscore the need for stronger cybersecurity measures, especially when third-party suppliers are involved in handling critical information.
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