Movie Mars, Inc.

The Washington State Office of the Attorney General disclosed a data breach targeting Movie Mars, Inc., stemming from a malware-based cyberattack on February 26, 2016. The incident compromised sensitive personal and financial data of approximately 524 residents, including names, banking details, and other confidential information. The breach exposed victims to potential financial fraud, identity theft, and unauthorized transactions, given the nature of the stolen data. While the exact method of exploitation (e.g., phishing, unpatched vulnerabilities) was not detailed, the use of malware suggests a deliberate intrusion to exfiltrate high-value information. The one-year delay in public disclosure (reported in February 2017) may have further exacerbated risks for affected individuals, as they remained unaware of the exposure for an extended period. The attack’s focus on financial and banking records aligns with patterns seen in financially motivated cybercrime, where stolen data is often sold on dark web marketplaces or used for direct fraud. The breach underscores the company’s failure to prevent or promptly detect the intrusion, raising concerns about its cybersecurity posture and incident response capabilities. No evidence suggests the attack involved ransomware or broader systemic disruption beyond the data theft itself.

Source: https://www.atg.wa.gov/data-breach-notifications | https://data.wa.gov/resource/sb4j-ca4h.json?id=9681

TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/movie-mars-inc.

"id": "mov603090125",
"linkid": "movie-mars-inc.",
"type": "Cyber Attack",
"date": "2/2016",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"

{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': '524',
                        'name': 'Movie Mars, Inc.',
                        'type': 'Company'}],
 'attack_vector': 'Malware',
 'data_breach': {'number_of_records_exposed': '524',
                 'personally_identifiable_information': 'Yes (names, financial '
                                                        'and banking '
                                                        'information)',
                 'sensitivity_of_data': 'High',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': ['names',
                                              'financial and banking '
                                              'information',
                                              'other types of information']},
 'date_publicly_disclosed': '2017-02-25',
 'description': 'The Washington State Office of the Attorney General reported '
                'a data breach involving Movie Mars, Inc. on February 25, '
                '2017. The breach, which occurred due to a cyberattack '
                'involving malware on February 26, 2016, affected '
                'approximately 524 residents and involved names, financial and '
                'banking information, and other types of information.',
 'impact': {'data_compromised': ['names',
                                 'financial and banking information',
                                 'other types of information'],
            'identity_theft_risk': 'High (financial and banking information '
                                   'exposed)',
            'payment_information_risk': 'High (financial and banking '
                                        'information exposed)'},
 'references': [{'source': 'Washington State Office of the Attorney General'}],
 'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': 'Washington State '
                                                       'Office of the Attorney '
                                                       'General'},
 'title': 'Data Breach at Movie Mars, Inc.',
 'type': 'Data Breach'}