Identification Images of 70,000 Users May Have Been Leaked, the Platform Reports
Discord, a chat application widely used by gaming communities, reports that official ID photos of about 70,000 users have potentially been leaked after a cyber-attack.
Third-Party Service Compromised
The platform, which maintains more than 200 million users internationally, reports that digital intruders had targeted a company that helped to verify the user ages of its members but the main application was not compromised.
Account holders can provide official pictures to authenticate their age bracket on Discord - a networking hub for gamers to chat and distribute materials with other members in the gaming community.
Extent of Information Leak
The leaked data may involve private data, partial credit card details and correspondence that were transmitted with the platform's support representatives.
Complete payment card information was not, security codes, or communications and user actions outside of interactions with Discord's help desk representatives were exposed, the organization said.
Response Measures
Each compromised user have been contacted and Discord is collaborating with law enforcement to probe the situation, it added.
The service said it has revoked the external company's access to the platform that was affected by the intrusion. Discord chose not to specify the partner organization affected.
Divergent Reports
Some digital analysts have alleged that the information leak was larger than Discord has acknowledged.
A representative for Discord declared that those allegations are inaccurate and "represent a scheme to coerce funds" from the company.
"We refuse to compensate those behind their illegal actions," the company official further stated.
Value of Private Information
Digital thieves frequently target personal data, which can command a high price on the illegal marketplace for use in deceptive practices.
Data such as entire names and official ID numbers is highly sought-after because, unlike financial data, it generally stays constant through the years.
Past Verification Steps
Discord has previously enhanced its age confirmation procedures in reaction to apprehensions that certain channels on the service were being utilized to circulate inappropriate and harmful content.
- Around 70,000 users impacted
- Third-party age verification provider compromised
- Fragmentary financial details could be compromised
- Help desk messages may have been obtained
- Law enforcement participating in examination
