Ticketmaster, a major customer of Snowflake, suffered a severe data breach in early 2024 after attackers exploited weak credentials and excessive permissions in Snowflake’s cloud environment. The breach led to unauthorized access to Ticketmaster’s database, resulting in the exfiltration of **1.3 terabytes of data** belonging to **560 million individuals**, including personal and potentially sensitive information. The incident triggered multiple customer lawsuits, reputational damage, and regulatory scrutiny. The attack highlighted critical vulnerabilities in third-party cloud platforms, where identity-based compromises enabled lateral movement and large-scale data theft. The cascading impact underscored how interconnected cloud ecosystems amplify risks, turning third-party breaches into direct threats to customer trust and operational stability.
Ticketmaster cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/ticketmaster
"id": "TIC1823618112425",
"linkid": "ticketmaster",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "6/2024",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "5",
"explanation": "Attack threatening the organization’s existence"{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 'Multiple (including AT&T, '
'Santander Bank, Ticketmaster)',
'industry': 'Technology/Cloud Computing',
'location': 'Global (HQ: Bozeman, Montana, USA)',
'name': 'Snowflake, Inc.',
'size': 'Enterprise',
'type': 'Cloud Data Platform Provider'},
{'customers_affected': '560 million individuals',
'industry': 'Entertainment/Ticketing',
'location': 'Global (HQ: Beverly Hills, California, '
'USA)',
'name': 'Ticketmaster',
'size': 'Enterprise',
'type': 'Subsidiary of Live Nation Entertainment'},
{'industry': 'Telecom',
'location': 'Global (HQ: Dallas, Texas, USA)',
'name': 'AT&T',
'size': 'Enterprise',
'type': 'Telecommunications'},
{'industry': 'Banking/Finance',
'location': 'Global (HQ: Madrid, Spain)',
'name': 'Santander Bank',
'size': 'Enterprise',
'type': 'Financial Institution'}],
'attack_vector': ['Credential Stuffing',
'Excessive Permissions',
'Identity-Based Attack',
'Lateral Movement via Cloud Environment'],
'customer_advisories': ['Ticketmaster notified affected customers; lawsuits '
'filed'],
'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': '1.3 terabytes (Ticketmaster)',
'number_of_records_exposed': '560 million (Ticketmaster '
'alone)',
'personally_identifiable_information': 'Yes (names, emails, '
'addresses, phone '
'numbers, etc.)',
'sensitivity_of_data': 'High',
'type_of_data_compromised': ['PII',
'Customer Names',
'Contact Details',
'Transaction Histories (implied)',
'Marketing Analytics']},
'date_detected': 'early 2024',
'description': 'In early 2024, attackers exploited weak credentials and '
"excessive permissions in Snowflake, Inc.'s cloud environment "
'to bypass perimeter defenses. They pivoted laterally into '
'multiple customer environments (e.g., AT&T, Santander Bank, '
'Ticketmaster) and exfiltrated large volumes of sensitive '
'data. Ticketmaster, a Snowflake customer, suffered a breach '
'of 1.3 TB of data affecting 560 million individuals, exposing '
'personally identifiable information (PII) and triggering '
'lawsuits. The incident highlighted systemic risks in cloud '
'security, including misconfigurations, over-privileged '
'identities, and exposed APIs, underscoring the need for '
'integrated defenses like Cloud Native Application Protection '
'Platforms (CNAPP), Zero Trust, and continuous compliance.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'Severe (high-profile breach affecting '
'560M individuals)',
'customer_complaints': 'Numerous lawsuits filed by affected '
'customers',
'data_compromised': ['Personally Identifiable Information (PII)',
'Customer Records',
'Marketing/Analytics Data'],
'identity_theft_risk': 'High (560M records exposed)',
'legal_liabilities': ['Class-Action Lawsuits',
'Potential Regulatory Fines'],
'operational_impact': ['Legal Lawsuits',
'Regulatory Scrutiny',
'Customer Distrust',
'Reputation Damage'],
'systems_affected': ['Snowflake Cloud Environment',
'Ticketmaster Databases',
'AT&T Systems (implied)',
'Santander Bank Systems (implied)']},
'initial_access_broker': {'data_sold_on_dark_web': 'Likely (implied by '
'motivation for financial '
'gain)',
'entry_point': 'Compromised Snowflake credentials '
'(weak/stolen)',
'high_value_targets': ['Customer databases (e.g., '
'Ticketmaster)',
'Marketing/analytics data']},
'investigation_status': 'Ongoing (lawsuits pending; no public resolution '
'announced)',
'lessons_learned': ['Identity is the new infrastructure in cloud '
'environments; compromised credentials can bypass '
'traditional defenses.',
'Third-party cloud platforms extend the attack surface; '
'their security gaps become your risk.',
'Lateral movement in cloud ecosystems can escalate a '
'single breach into a multi-tenant disaster.',
'Misconfigurations, over-privileged identities, and '
'exposed APIs are root causes of most cloud breaches.',
"Traditional 'deploy-then-secure' models fail in dynamic "
'cloud environments; security must be integrated by '
'design.',
'Visibility and enforcement must match the speed of cloud '
'adoption to prevent attack paths from becoming '
'actionable.',
'Zero Trust is no longer optional—it is essential to '
'limit lateral movement post-compromise.',
'Regulatory and insurance expectations are shifting from '
'compliance checks to continuous proof of security '
'posture.'],
'motivation': ['Data Theft',
'Financial Gain (Potential Dark Web Sale)',
'Disruption'],
'post_incident_analysis': {'corrective_actions': ['Snowflake: Enforced MFA '
'for all accounts, audited '
'customer permissions, and '
'enhanced monitoring '
'(implied).',
'Ticketmaster: Likely '
'implemented stricter '
'access controls and data '
'encryption (not detailed).',
'Industry-wide push toward '
'CNAPP adoption and Zero '
'Trust frameworks.',
'Increased regulatory and '
'board-level demand for '
'continuous cloud security '
'assurance.'],
'root_causes': ['Weak or stolen credentials in '
'Snowflake accounts.',
'Excessive permissions granted to '
'user accounts (lack of '
'least-privilege principle).',
'Lack of MFA or robust identity '
'protection mechanisms.',
'Misconfigured cloud IAM policies '
'enabling lateral movement.',
'Over-reliance on perimeter '
'defenses in a cloud environment '
'where identity is the perimeter.',
'Third-party risk management gaps '
'(Snowflake’s security posture '
'impacted customers).',
'Dynamic cloud environments '
'outpacing governance and '
'visibility tools.']},
'ransomware': {'data_exfiltration': 'Yes (1.3 TB from Ticketmaster)'},
'recommendations': ['Adopt a **Cloud Native Application Protection Platform '
'(CNAPP)** to unify posture, workload, and identity '
'analytics.',
'Implement **Zero Trust Architecture** with strict '
'least-privilege access and continuous authentication.',
'Enforce **Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)** for all '
'cloud accounts, especially high-privilege roles.',
'Conduct **continuous posture evaluations** to anticipate '
'attack paths before they are exploited.',
'Treat **API security as a frontline defense**, not an '
'afterthought (e.g., API gateways, runtime protection).',
'Apply **microsegmentation** to limit lateral movement '
'within cloud environments.',
'Partner with **managed security providers** to address '
'scale and signal-to-noise challenges.',
'Shift from **point solutions** to **integrated security '
'architectures** that correlate risks across posture, '
'identity, and runtime.',
'Prioritize **security-by-design** in cloud deployments, '
'embedding controls from the outset.',
'Prepare for **regulatory scrutiny** by maintaining '
'continuous compliance evidence (e.g., automated audits, '
'logging).'],
'references': [{'source': 'T-Systems (Article)'},
{'source': 'Shutterstock (Image Credit: Kjetil Kolbjornsrud)'}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'legal_actions': ['Class-Action Lawsuits '
'(Ticketmaster)']},
'title': 'Snowflake Data Breach (2024) and Cascading Impact on Ticketmaster',
'type': ['Data Breach',
'Unauthorized Access',
'Lateral Movement',
'Third-Party Risk'],
'vulnerability_exploited': ['Weak/Stolen Credentials',
'Over-Privileged Accounts',
'Lack of Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)',
'Misconfigured Cloud Identity and Access '
'Management (IAM)']}