Hacker Group Exposes Disney’s Internal Slack Messages Highlighting AI Issues

An activist hacker group claims to have exposed thousands of internal Disney messages. The breach reportedly includes information on unreleased projects, raw images, computer code, and some login credentials.

In an email to CNN on Monday, the “hacktivist” group Nullbulge took ownership of breaching Disney’s Slack communications platform, releasing approximately 1.2 terabytes of data. The group, which claimed to be based in Russia, stated they gained access through an individual with Slack credentials who had the necessary cookies.

The email stated, “The user was aware we had them, he tried to kick us out once but let us walk right back in before the second time.”

Disney said in a statement on Monday that it “is investigating this matter.” Spanning a wide array of divisions and companies, Disney’s entertainment empire includes Disney+, Hulu, ABC News, and ESPN.

Advocating for artists’ rights and fair compensation in the age of artificial intelligence, the group emphasized its mission to ensure ethical practices. In the email, Nullbulge said, “Disney was our target due to how it handles artist contracts, its approach to AI, and its pretty blatant disregard for the consumer.”

In the weeks leading up to the massive data release, Nullbulge had been teasing the event on its social media channels. In June for instance, the group shared what seems to be visitor statistics, booking information, and Disneyland Paris’ revenue data.

As negotiations unfolded during the strikes by the Screen Actors Guild and the Writers Guild of America, artificial intelligence emerged as a significant issue of debate. Writers raised concerns that AI tools such as ChatGPT could reduce their involvement by automating the process of scriptwriting. Similarly, actors voiced worries about the progress of computer-generated imagery (CGI), which they feared could eventually replace them in both film and television productions.

According to the hackers, they leaked the data because they believed there would be no point in making any demands of Disney. The email noted, “If we said ‘Hello Disney, we have all your slack data’ they would instantly lock down and try to take us out. In a duel, you better fire first.”