The Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center have been affected by a cyberattack that has hobbled their ticketing systems for over a week.
What we know
Organization officials have not confirmed if this was a ransomware attack, only that they are being disrupted.
The FBI has offered assistance investigating the incident, but they have assured that no customer credit card information or donor data has been compromised.
This attack is unprecedented in the arts center’s 21-year history. Arts center leaders are working with cybersecurity experts to restore the full functionality of their websites soon.
Targeting the arts
The MET Opera was targeted in a cyberattack that shut them down for over a week in early December.
According to Slippedisc, the MET was targeted with another bot attack last week that took their site down for several hours.
There are also reports that Vienna Opera may have been cyberattacked last week after their website was taken offline.
Why is this happening?
In an interview with the FBI spokesperson Carrie Adamowski with the Philadelphia Enquirer, she said they are unaware of any trends targeting arts organizations.
She added that criminals probe nonstop, looking for vulnerabilities in networks holding personal or financial data of employees/customers, which can be monetized or posted online.
Hard facts
- According to Check Point Research, cyberattacks worldwide increased by 38% from 2021-2022.
- A recent IBM report states manufacturing, finance and insurance sectors were most hit by similar incidents globally.
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