Disney Hit With Class Action Suit After Massive Data Breach

The Walt Disney Company is facing a class action lawsuit over a significant data breach that exposed over 1.1 terabytes of personal customer information in July 2024. Thousands of current and former Disney customers have joined the lawsuit, accusing the company of failing to protect their sensitive data. The suit was filed on October 3 in Los Angeles Superior Court by Scott Margel, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The breach was carried out by a Russia-based hacktivist group known as “Nullbulge,” which gained access to Disney’s internal communication platform, Slack. This allowed the hackers to steal not only customer data but also sensitive internal information from Disney’s operations, including Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu.

According to reports, the hack compromised passport numbers and other personal details from Disney’s Cruise Line, as well as granular revenue information. Despite these serious breaches, many customers claim they have yet to be informed by Disney about the full scope of the hack and remain in the dark about how much of their data was compromised.

The Wall Street Journal reported in July that the breach included a variety of internal documents, logins, and advertising data, adding further complexity to the situation. The Hollywood Reporter later confirmed that much of the leaked information originated from Disney’s use of Salesforce’s Slack platform, revealing a wide range of Disney’s internal operations.

The timing of the breach couldn’t have been worse for Disney, which has been grappling with multiple challenges, including rounds of layoffs and internal consolidation. In recent months, hundreds of corporate jobs have been cut, and the company has been struggling to stabilize its streaming services amid rising costs and declining profits.

Disney’s theme parks have also been hit hard, leading to a downgrade in the company’s stock as revenues from the parks continue to suffer. This data breach adds another layer of difficulty for the entertainment giant as it faces growing financial and operational pressures.