Walt Disney Co. has suffered a significant data breach led by a hacker group known as NullBulge. The hacktivist group allegedly accessed and leaked over one terabyte of data from Disney’s internal Slack channels. This exposed private data, including traffic and revenue data for Disneyland Paris, unreleased projects, and images. The group claims that its actions are driven by a desire to protect artists’ rights and ensure their fair compensation, specifically targeting Disney due to its approach to AI and artist contracts.
Complaints from artists against major corporations are increasingly common, putting the spotlight on AI-related jobs. In the past year, Disney posted at least 11 such positions. An insider suggested that traditional media companies would risk becoming obsolete if they couldn’t adapt to AI’s significance in their industry.
Content creators worldwide are expressing their discontent with AI companies, with thousands of authors, including famous ones like Neil Gaiman and George R.R. Martin, signing an open letter protesting the unauthorized use of their work. Getty Images even filed a lawsuit against Stability AI for copyright infringement related to AI training. Many unresolved lawsuits against AI companies have followed.
The Disney breach was reportedly inflicted through a compromised Slack account. It’s suggested that the hacktivists may have taken advantage of leaked or stolen API keys, a common issue when developers integrate Slack into their automation tools and inadvertently leak these codes. Disney has recognized the breach and is currently investigating the matter.
Similar breaches have affected other tech firms, putting the sector on alert. OpenAI experienced a data breach in 2023 that exposed internal discussions about its AI technology, leading to criticism of its security practices and resulting in the dismissal of a technical program manager who leaked outside the company.
These incidents underscore the significant threat hacktivists pose to tech companies and their possibly inadequate defense systems. They also highlight broader issues related to the use of AI and disagreements about artists’ fair compensation in an increasingly digital landscape.
