Venice Film Festival Hit by Cyberattack, Compromising Attendee Data
The prestigious Venice Film Festival has confirmed a significant security breach, revealing that a cyberattack compromised personal data of accredited participants, including press members, for the 2023 event.
Details of the Security Breach
The attack occurred on July 7, 2023, when unauthorized individuals gained access to the festival’s servers, successfully copying sensitive documents containing personal information of festival participants. The compromised data includes:
- Names and email addresses
- Phone numbers
- Tax codes
- Mailing addresses
Festival’s Response to the Cyberattack
Festival organizers have reported that their IT team responded swiftly to the security breach by:
- Immediately isolating affected systems
- Implementing security measures
- Notifying relevant authorities
- Initiating system restoration procedures
Concerned participants can contact the festival’s data protection officer at privacy@labiennale.org for additional information about their compromised data.
Context of Festival Cybersecurity
This incident follows a pattern of cyber threats targeting major film festivals. In 2022, the Cannes Film Festival experienced a similar disruption when their online ticketing system was targeted by bot attacks.
Important Information
The 82nd Venice Film Festival is scheduled to proceed as planned from August 27 to September 9, 2023. Festival organizers are implementing additional security measures to prevent future incidents.