PBS reveals data breach after company info leaked on Discord

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It's now officially cool to share corporate emails in Discord chats

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  • PBS confirms a data leak affecting almost 4,000 people
  • Someone shared a database on Discord, apparently to act "cool"
  • The potential for abuse is there, so users should beware

Iconic US television network PBS has been hacked, and lost valuable contact information on its employees and affiliates.

However, the attack doesn’t seem to have been done out of malice, but rather curiosity, and the desire to be “cool”.

Recently, a database started circulating on Discord servers, allegedly containing PBS corporate contact information. The database was not present on any dark web forums, data extortion sites, or anything similar, but was being shared on a channel “PBS Kids”, where fans of PBS children’s shows get together to chat.

"Rebellious curiosity"

BleepingComputer investigated the database, and confirmed it contained information on almost 4,000 PBS employees and affiliates.

It came in the form of a JSON file, with each record containing an employee name, corporate email, title, timezone, department, location, job function, hobbies, and the name of the supervisor.

PBS confirmed the authenticity of the leak, saying young adults, teenagers, and kids, are sharing it “more out of a sense of novelty, rebellious curiosity, or simply to gain a bit of notoriety within their peer groups."

"It's less about exploiting the data for financial gain and more about the 'cool factor' of possessing it,” the company said.

That doesn’t mean the archives can’t be picked up by actual malicious actors and used for devastating phishing attacks.

PBS seems to be well aware of the potential for abuse, and has reached out to affected individuals to warn them about potential attacks, scams, and incoming fraud.

PBS, or Public Broadcasting Service, is a non-profit, public television network in the United States. It doesn’t produce shows itself, but rather distributes content created by member stations and independent producers.

One of its most famous programs is Sesame Street which, in the meantime, migrated to HBO and Max.

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Sead Fadilpašić

Sead is a seasoned freelance journalist based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He writes about IT (cloud, IoT, 5G, VPN) and cybersecurity (ransomware, data breaches, laws and regulations). In his career, spanning more than a decade, he’s written for numerous media outlets, including Al Jazeera Balkans. He’s also held several modules on content writing for Represent Communications.

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