Disney Investigating Data Leak After Hackers Post Alleged Internal Communications Online

Los Angeles Times via Getty Imag

Disney is investigating a hack of the entertainment company’s internal Slack channels.

A hacker group called Nullbulge claims to have obtained and leaked more than 1 terabyte of data from Disney’s internal Slack channels.

The “hacktivist” group claims to focus on “protecting artists’ rights and ensuring fair compensation for their work.” It shared screenshots of documents the group allegedly downloaded, posting to X about traffic and revenue data for Disneyland Paris and what seems to be a new streaming feature that would recommend Disney content based on what viewers previously watched, with a promise to dump the entire haul online. In the group’s latest blog post, Nullbulge claims that the full scope of leaked data includes details about unreleased projects, raw images and computer code.

The Wall Street Journal, which first reported this story, has viewed a number of the files allegedly obtained and leaked by Nullbulge, which included “conversations about maintaining Disney’s corporate website, software development, assessments of candidates for employment, programs for emerging leaders within ESPN and photos of employees’ dogs, with data stretching back to at least 2019.”

“Disney is investigating this matter,” a Disney spokesman said. Variety has reached out to Nullbulge for comment.

You couldn’t blame anyone at Disney — with businesses that span its film and television studio, like Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm, as well as streaming services Disney+ and Hulu, cable networks like ESPN, theme parks and more — for a vague kind of PTSD.

A decade ago, Sony Pictures was the victim of a devastating hack. It is still considered to be the most significant corporate data breach in U.S. history, and much more than employee dog photos were on the line. Years’ worth of emails, ranging from benign to gossipy to incredibly unflattering, were leaked, wreaking havoc on show business. Academy Award winning producer Amy Pascal stepped down as co-CEO of the studio as a result. Names including Angelina Jolie, Rooney Mara and President Barack Obama were discussed in private communications published on Wikileaks. The studio was also brought to its knees, unable to rely on any sort of tech for days (accounting had to process payroll by hand) following the incident.

Jennifer Maas contributed to this report.