Disney hacked: Data leaked online, says report

FILE PHOTO: A screen shows the logo and a ticker symbol for The Walt Disney Company on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, US. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

BURBANK – Disney is investigating an internal Slack workplace communication system leak that included data of discussions about campaigns and studio technology, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.

An anonymous hacking group that calls itself Nullbulge said in a blog post that it published data online from thousands of Slack channels from the entertainment giant, including computer code and details about unreleased projects, according to the Journal.

“Disney is investigating this matter,” a Disney spokesman told the newspaper.

Slack is widely used within large companies for group communications.

Material viewed by the newspaper included conversations about maintaining Disney’s corporate website, software development, assessments of candidates for employment, and programs for emerging leaders within ESPN, with data stretching back to at least 2019.

The entertainment company’s businesses span movies, streaming services Disney+ and Hulu, theme parks, cable TV and sports giant ESPN. Disney is home to popular franchises including Marvel properties and “Star Wars.”

In recent weeks, Nullbulge posted screenshots of documents online that it claimed to have obtained from the company’s Slack channels, the Journal reported.

Nullbulge bills itself as a “hacktivist” group that advocates for artist rights and chooses its targets based on a set of social, economic or political values.

A spokesperson for the group told the Journal via an online message that it targeted Disney “due to how it handles artist contracts, its approach to AI, and it’s (sic) pretty blatant disregard for the consumer.”

Revealing internal company messages, code, and documents to the public can greatly disrupt operations and jeopardize commercial goals.

In 2014, hackers linked to North Korea sent Sony Pictures into chaos, damaging internal systems and publicly releasing email messages, including exchanges involving Sony’s co-chairman Amy Pascal, who stepped down months after the incident. (CNS)