MediaWorks, a prominent New Zealand-based company, is currently probing an alleged security incident following claims by a hacker regarding the theft of data from over 2.4 million individuals. Although MediaWorks has not officially confirmed the breach, the company stated on its website that the purported breach involves data from website competition entries, which have now been relocated to a secure database. The hacker, who announced their intention to sell the stolen data on a cybercrime forum, asserts that the compromised information includes personally identifiable details such as names, addresses, dates of birth, and contact information. MediaWorks has acknowledged that the breached database contained information such as names, dates of birth, gender, addresses, postcodes, and mobile numbers, as well as images or videos uploaded as part of competition entries. However, financial details and passwords are believed to be unaffected. MediaWorks emphasized its commitment to data security and is currently investigating the incident with the assistance of external experts. The New Zealand Privacy Commissioner's office disclosed that it had not been notified of the breach, as required by law once an incident is confirmed. Individuals affected by the breach have reported receiving extortion demands from the perpetrator, who allegedly requested payment in Bitcoin to delete their data before selling it. Despite these claims, doubts have been raised regarding the actual number of affected individuals, as one recipient noted receiving the extortion message alongside a significantly smaller group than the purported 2.4 million.
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