Ticketmaster Pays $10m Criminal Fine for Hacking Rival – DoJ states that the company illegally accessed its competitor’s computer systems to ‘choke off’ the victim’s business.
The US Department of Justice has found Ticketmaster guilty of unlawfully accessing a competitor’s computer systems. Hence, the company was ordered to pay a $10m in criminal fine.
DoJ Declares Ticketmaster Guilty of Intrusion
According to the DoJ, Ticketmaster used passwords, which its rival firm’s former employee had retained, and accessed its computers. The department stated that it was a planned scheme to ‘choke off the victim’s business.’
New: Apple loses lawsuit against cyber security startup Corellium
Ticketmaster employees’ actions were condemned by the acting US lawyer for New York’s eastern district, Seth D DuCharme, and the FBI’s New York Field Office assistance director, William F Sweeney Jr.
Ticketmaster Admits Spying on Competitor
The US-based ticket selling and distribution firm admitted that it deliberately and knowingly accessed its key competitor’s computer systems to keep a check on its pricing and introduce competitive packages. The competitor was identified as a UK-based company with offices in New York and Brooklyn. Court documents revealed that the competitor was Songkick.
The company’s spokesperson stated that Ticketmaster executives used the old log-in credentials, which their former employee provided, and repeatedly accessed the systems. Songkick shut down its ticket-selling operations in 2017 and sold all other operations to ticketmaster hacked rival paying
