Official ID Pictures of 70,000 Users May Have Been Compromised, Discord Says
Discord, the messaging platform favored among video game players, reports that government identification images of approximately 70,000 users may have been exposed following a online intrusion.
Third-Party Service Targeted
The service, which maintains over 200 million users globally, states that digital intruders had compromised a provider that was responsible for authenticating the user ages of its users but the main application was not directly affected.
Account holders can upload identification images to verify their age on Discord - a social space for players to interact and exchange content with other members in the player network.
Extent of Information Leak
The leaked data could include personal information, fragmentary financial data and correspondence that were shared with the platform's support representatives.
Complete payment card information was not, security codes, or communications and user actions apart from exchanges with Discord's service team were compromised, the company said.
Action Taken
All impacted users have been notified and Discord is working with authorities to probe the situation, it added.
The service reported it has terminated the customer support provider's permissions for the system that was affected by the intrusion. Discord declined to identify the partner organization compromised.
Contradictory Statements
Some digital analysts have alleged that the data breach was more extensive than Discord has revealed.
A spokesperson for Discord stated that those claims are inaccurate and "constitute an effort to demand money" from the company.
"We decline to pay those accountable for their unauthorized deeds," the spokesperson continued.
Importance of Individual Details
Online intruders frequently target personal data, which can fetch substantial sums on the illegal marketplace for utilization in fraudulent schemes.
Details including entire names and official ID numbers is particularly prized because, unlike payment information, it typically remains unchanged over time.
Earlier Protection Initiatives
Discord has in the past reinforced its user authentication protocols in answer to apprehensions that certain channels on the platform were being employed to share adult content and radical materials.
- About 70,000 users impacted
- Third-party age verification company compromised
- Incomplete payment data possibly leaked
- Help desk communications potentially were obtained
- Police engaged in examination
