A New York law firm representing some of the biggest names in music has been hacked and its A-list clients' sensitive data allegedly stolen. Media and entertainment lawyers Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks on Monday confirmed to Rolling Stone that it has been the victim of a cyberattack.
"We have notified our clients and our staff," the company said in a statement. "We have hired the world's experts who specialize in this area, and we are working around the clock to address these matters."
Variety last week reported that hacker group "REvil," also known as "Sodinokibi," claimed to have grabbed 756GB of legal documents thought to contain the private details of artists including Lady Gaga, Madonna, Nicki Minaj, Bruce Springsteen, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Bette Midler, Christina Aguilera, Idina Menzel, Run DMC, Jessica Simpson, and Ella Mai, as well as actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas, NFL player Cam Newton, and Facebook.
Purported details include phone numbers, email addresses, personal correspondence, contracts, and nondisclosure agreements, according to Rolling Stone. Hiding behind the mask of the dark web, the hackers reportedly released an excerpt from a contract for Madonna's 2019-20 Madame X Live Nation tour. What Emsisoft threat analyst Brett Callow called a "warning shot" ("the equivalent of a kidnapper sending a pinky finger," he told Variety), the Queen of Pop's sneak peak is likely just the beginning. Callow suggested the group will publish more stolen data, possibly in installments, if the company doesn't pay up. No demand for payment has been forthcoming yet, though.
"Attacks on law firms are particularly concerning due to the sensitivity of the information they hold," Callow said in a statement to Rolling Stone, citing previous incidents in which details about veterans' PTSD claims and child neglect cases were published online for the world to see.
Currently in high-security mode, the Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks website displays only the company logo, with no links or information. According to Variety, the site has been offline since Saturday morning.
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