In a recent development, National Amusements, the corporate powerhouse behind Paramount Global, CBS, and Showcase Cinemas, has confirmed a substantial data breach compromising the privacy of more than 82,000 people.
The breach occurred between December 13 and 15 of 2022 but only came to light recently through a mandatory filing with the attorney general of Maine.
The company, which discovered the breach in August, engaged a leading forensic cybersecurity firm to investigate and contain the situation.
It was revealed that hackers pilfered personal information, including financial records, bank account details, credit card numbers, security codes, access codes, passwords, and PINs.
Despite the severity of the breach, National Amusements asserts that, based on their investigation, there is no indication of identity theft or fraud resulting from this incident.
However, in an abundance of caution, the company has notified the affected individuals and encouraged preventative measures.
Notably, the filing discloses that National Amusements took eight months to discover the hack. The company, emphasizing its commitment to information security, stated it will enhance its processes and procedures to prevent future events of this nature.
To address the fallout, National Amusements is offering 12 months of credit monitoring and identity theft services through Experian for those affected. The enrollment deadline for these services is March 15, 2024.
This data breach is not an isolated incident within the entertainment conglomerate. Paramount, a subsidiary of National Amusements, also faced a security breach in August, leading to the compromise of customers’ personal information.
This included names, birthdays, social security numbers, driver’s license details, passport numbers, and other sensitive data. Paramount promptly filed with the Massachusetts attorney general in response to this breach.
As both National Amusements and Paramount work diligently to rectify these security lapses and protect their customers, the incidents highlight the pressing need for robust cybersecurity measures in the entertainment industry and beyond.
