Hollywood Stars’ Private Data Exposed in Tribeca Film Festival Breach
A significant data breach has exposed the personal contact details of numerous Hollywood celebrities, including Angelina Jolie, Robert De Niro, and Martin Scorsese, according to cybersecurity researcher Jeremiah Fowler. The leaked information phone numbers, private email addresses, and even device details was found among 666,369 records linked to New York’s Tribeca Film Festival.
Fowler, a researcher at Black Hills Information Security, discovered three exposed databases containing data from 2019 to 2026, primarily consisting of marketing materials. However, one database included a backup folder labeled “contacts,” which held sensitive personal information. The breach appears to have resulted from human error, with the data left publicly accessible on a cloud system.
Among the affected individuals were actors Michael Douglas, Rami Malek, Sharon Stone, and Neil Patrick Harris, as well as directors Danny Boyle and George Lucas. Many of the leaked email addresses used personal domains like Gmail and Yahoo, suggesting they were not publicly listed. Additionally, some records included device information, such as iPhone models and software versions, which could aid cybercriminals in targeted attacks.
Fowler reported the breach to Tribeca Enterprises days before the festival began in June. The organization swiftly secured the databases, and a legal executive confirmed they were investigating the incident. While Fowler found no evidence of malicious access, he noted that the data could have been exploited for phishing or malware attacks, particularly by impersonating trusted contacts.
Tribeca has not disputed the exposure but stated that most of the leaked contacts belonged to managers and agents rather than the celebrities themselves. The duration of the exposure remains unclear.
Tribeca Enterprises TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/tribeca-film-festival-nyc-llc
"id": "tri1785032635",
"linkid": "tribeca-film-festival-nyc-llc",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "7/2026",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': '666,369 records (including '
'celebrities, managers, and '
'agents)',
'industry': 'Entertainment (Film Festival)',
'location': 'New York, USA',
'name': 'Tribeca Film Festival (Tribeca Enterprises)',
'type': 'Organization'}],
'attack_vector': 'Misconfigured Cloud Storage',
'data_breach': {'number_of_records_exposed': '666,369',
'personally_identifiable_information': 'Yes',
'sensitivity_of_data': 'High (personally identifiable '
'information)',
'type_of_data_compromised': ['Phone numbers',
'Private email addresses',
'Device details (e.g., iPhone '
'models, software versions)']},
'description': 'A significant data breach has exposed the personal contact '
'details of numerous Hollywood celebrities, including Angelina '
'Jolie, Robert De Niro, and Martin Scorsese. The leaked '
'information included phone numbers, private email addresses, '
'and device details found among 666,369 records linked to New '
'York’s Tribeca Film Festival. The breach appears to have '
'resulted from human error, with the data left publicly '
'accessible on a cloud system.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'Potential reputational damage to '
'Tribeca Film Festival',
'data_compromised': 'Personal contact details (phone numbers, '
'private email addresses, device information)',
'identity_theft_risk': 'High (due to exposure of personally '
'identifiable information)',
'systems_affected': 'Cloud storage system'},
'investigation_status': 'Ongoing (Tribeca Enterprises investigating)',
'lessons_learned': 'Human error in cloud storage configuration can lead to '
'significant data exposure. Regular audits of '
'public-facing databases are critical to prevent such '
'incidents.',
'post_incident_analysis': {'corrective_actions': 'Databases secured; '
'investigation launched',
'root_causes': 'Human error (misconfigured cloud '
'storage)'},
'recommendations': ['Implement stricter access controls for cloud storage',
'Conduct regular security audits',
'Enhance monitoring for unauthorized access',
'Educate staff on secure data handling practices'],
'references': [{'source': 'Jeremiah Fowler (Black Hills Information '
'Security)'}],
'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Legal executive confirmed '
'investigation',
'containment_measures': 'Databases secured after notification',
'third_party_assistance': 'Cybersecurity researcher Jeremiah '
'Fowler (Black Hills Information '
'Security)'},
'title': 'Hollywood Stars’ Private Data Exposed in Tribeca Film Festival '
'Breach',
'type': 'Data Breach',
'vulnerability_exploited': 'Human Error (Publicly Accessible Database)'}