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Data from Disney’s internal Slack workplace collaboration system has been leaked online, including discussions of ad campaigns, studio tech and interview candidates, according to files viewed by The Wall Street Journal.
An anonymous group of hackers calling themselves Nullbulge said in a blog post that they had published data including computer code and details of unannounced projects from thousands of the entertainment company’s Slack channels, which are widely used within large companies for group communication about strategic initiatives.
A hacking group has released data from Disney’s internal Slack communications. (iStock/iStock)
The group’s claims about the scope of the documents seized or how they were obtained could not immediately be verified. The materials reviewed by The Wall Street Journal include conversations about maintaining Disney’s corporate website, software development, evaluating job candidates, a program for emerging leaders within ESPN and photos of employees’ dogs, and the data dates back to at least 2019.
“Disney is investigating this matter,” the spokesperson said.
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The entertainment giant’s operations span movies, streaming services Disney+ and Hulu, theme parks, cable television and sports giant ESPN. It’s also home to popular franchises like Marvel and Star Wars.
A sign near the entrance to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla. Disney says it’s investigating claims that internal Slack messages were hacked and shared online. (Joe Raedl/Getty Images/Getty Images)
| Ticker | safety | last | change | change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dis | The Walt Disney Company | 96.87 | -0.26 | -0.27% |
In recent weeks, Nurbalji has posted online screenshots of documents he claims to have obtained from the company’s Slack channel, which he says contain project descriptions and plans, as well as excerpts of visitor, bookings and revenue data for Disneyland Paris.
Nullbulge describes itself as a hacktivist group that advocates for artists’ rights and chooses targets based on a set of social, economic and political values. A spokesman for the group said through online messaging that they targeted Disney “because of the way they handle artist contracts, their approach to AI, and [sic] It’s a blatant disregard for consumers.”
The comments expose an ideological rift that is opening up in the entertainment industry as advances in artificial intelligence accelerate. Some artists and activists worry that big tech companies are scraping creative works from the internet for free to power new chatbots and other tools that respond to users’ questions with text, images and videos. Several tech companies argue that scraping creative works from the public internet constitutes a fair use of the works posted there.
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The spokesperson said Nurbulj released the data because it determined that demanding it from Disney would be ineffective. “If we said, ‘Hey Disney, we have all your Slack data,’ they would immediately try to lock us down and take us out. In a duel, it’s better to shoot first,” the spokesperson said.
Eric Parker, a security researcher who has tracked Nullbulge’s online activity, said Nullbulge began claiming to have accessed Disney’s computer systems in May. Parker believes the hacking group is actually one person. “He’s not in it for the money,” Parker said. “I think this is an attention-grabbing stunt.”
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Security researchers say the hacking group has previously distributed malicious software hidden inside free add-ons for video games and AI-powered image-generating software, a technique known as a “Trojan horse.”
The group said it accessed the information through a Disney software development manager, and then broke into his computer twice — first using a video game add-on and the second using an undisclosed method. It was not immediately clear how the group gained access to Disney’s Slack system.
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The group has a history of stealing personal information and online credentials and publishing them online, including that of Disney employees, who did not respond to requests for comment.
The release of internal messages, code, and documents could be disruptive to a company and risk undermining its commercial objectives. In 2014, North Korea-linked hackers wreaked havoc on Sony Pictures, damaging its internal systems and releasing email messages, including embarrassing exchanges with Sony co-chairman Amy Pascal, who resigned a few months after the incident.
