National Amusements, the corporate parent of media entities Paramount Global and CBS, has confirmed a data breach affecting 82,128 individuals during December 2022. The breach came to light after a legally required filing with Maine’s attorney general, revealing that hackers stole personal information and financial details, including banking and credit card numbers, along with security codes and passwords. The company, which owns the Showcase Cinemas theater chain, discovered the breach eight months later in August 2023.
While they engaged a cybersecurity firm for investigation and containment, the specific information accessed was not disclosed in the filing. This revelation follows a separate security breach disclosed by Paramount Global in August, where hackers obtained personal information such as customer names, Social Security numbers, and government-issued identification details. National Amusements emphasized that, based on their investigation, there is no indication of identity theft or fraud resulting from the data breach. However, as a precaution, affected individuals have been notified to encourage preventative measures.
The company is taking the incident seriously, undertaking enhancements to information security processes and procedures. Shari Redstone’s National Amusements has faced challenges, and rumors circulate about a potential sale of a controlling stake in the company. Paramount Global, under Redstone’s leadership as chair and CEO of National Amusements, has encountered difficulties, prompting speculation about its future as a stand-alone entity. The disclosure of the recent data breach adds another layer of complexity to the company’s ongoing situation, emphasizing the importance of robust cybersecurity measures in safeguarding sensitive personal and financial information.
