A potential data breach has rattled Nickelodeon, the renowned American childrens TV channel. However, preliminary investigations suggest the leaked data, although legitimate, is seemingly not recent.
The breach initially came to light through social media rumors late last month. A trove of documents and media files, totaling around 500GB, supposedly from Nickelodeon’s animation department, made the rounds online.
“As a reminder to people leaking any upcoming #Nickelodeon stuff, Nickelodeon has eyes they already and is taking action on leak reuploaders like the loud house and casegrande movie! Please stop reposting,” says a user who has been sharing details about the leak since June 19th.
While the breach supposedly took place in January, it wasn’t until two months later that Nickelodeon was able to block the unauthorized access. That said, many specifics lack evidence, and Nickelodeon has only recently confirmed the breach happened.
“We are aware of social media posts that alleged production-related files were made available without authorization, and we are investigating,” confirmed a Nickelodeon spokesperson.
The spokesperson further explained that the leaked files don’t seem to stem from a recent system breach. Instead, it’s allegedly a collection of decades-old production resources and intellectual property.
“The alleged leaked content appears related to production files only, not long-form content or employee or user data, and some of it appears to be decades old,” they said.
They also emphasized that the breach hasn’t compromised any user or employee data. The investigation continues, but Nickelodeon hasn’t yet unearthed any indication of a significant compromise.
Two individuals involved with the hack are already facing legal repercussions. Users by the name of “BowDown” and “IncidentalSeventy,” are currently facing the consequences of their malicious actions.
While the aged nature of the leaked content might not necessarily cause substantial harm to Nickelodeon’s business, the re-distribution of copyrighted intellectual property remains a serious matter. Any parties engaging in such activities could be subject to legal ramifications.