In a recent disclosure, National Amusements, the parent company of media giants CBS and Paramount, confirmed that a data breach had happened. The data breach had occurred over a year ago and allegedly impacts a staggering 82,128 individuals. The breach was formally reported to Maine’s Attorney General under the state’s 2005 digital privacy law. Despite the legal filing, National Amusements has maintained silence on the matter, leaving lingering questions about the nature of the compromised data—whether it pertains to customer information, employee records, or both.
Journey through the Breach
Maine’s data breach notification outlines that the cyberattack occurred between December 13 and 15, 2022. It has also been confirmed that 64 of the affected individuals reside in Maine. Adding a layer of intrigue, the disclosure was submitted by National Amusements’ senior vice president of human resources, fueling speculation that the breach might have primarily revolved around internal employee data. What’s more puzzling is the company’s delay in informing customers, with notifications initiated only on December 22, 2023—372 days after the breach event.
The notification letter sent to victims acknowledges National Amusements’ detection of suspicious activity within its computer network around December 15, 2022. The company asserts that it had taken immediate measures to secure the network and minimize disruptions. However, an inconsistency arises when scrutinizing this claim. When you compare this information against information from Maine’s Attorney General’s office, which indicates the “date breach discovered” as August 23, 2023, it suggests an eight-month gap before the intrusion was officially identified.
Dive into Compromised Data
The disclosed filing exposes that the hackers successfully accessed financial information, specifically citing “account number or credit/debit card number (in combination with security code, access code, password, or PIN for the account).” National Amusements has assured that it has committed to providing 12 months of Experian credit monitoring and identity theft services to mitigate the impact on affected individuals, especially for those whose social security numbers were exposed in the breach.
Corporate Background Check
National Amusements solidified its holding on Paramount and CBS in 2019 following the Viacom-CBS merger. It is important to note that this recent data breach stands as a separate entity from another incident disclosed by Paramount in August through Massachusetts’ Attorney General’s Office. In that instance, the breach was documented as occurring “between May and June 2023.”
As National Amusements grapples with the aftermath of this data breach, concerns mount regarding the company’s response and the significant delay in notifying affected individuals. The revelation of compromised financial information heightens the urgency of comprehending the full extent of the breach. With potential repercussions for both customers and employees, National Amusements is now faced with the daunting task of rebuilding trust and fortifying its cybersecurity measures to stave off future incidents.
