E3 organizer, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), has accidentally ended up leaking data for over 2,000 analysts, journalists, investors, streamers, and video producers who attended the event over the past year.
First reported by YouTuber Sophia Narwitz, the snafu involved ESA hosting an excel spreadsheet with details of those who were issued event passes on a link that was publicly accessible. The spreadsheet included names, employer details, home addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers.
Although the link and spreadsheet has since been taken down, copies are already circulating online, prompting those affected to change phone numbers, update email passwords, and so on. In a video exposing the blunder, Narwitz said that she also contacted a lawyer for their input on the matter.
For its part, ESA has said that it regrets the error and will ensure that it doesn’t occur again. However, it comes as little consolation to those whose names were on the list because, as VentureBeat points out, it’s impossible to determine who and how many people have access to the information.
ESA’s statement to the publication reads:
ESA was made aware of a website vulnerability that led to the contact list of registered journalists attending E3 being made public. Once notified, we immediately took steps to protect that data and shut down the site, which is no longer available. We regret this occurrence and have put measures in place to ensure it will not occur again.
If you attended E3 and are concerned about the leak, here are some of the steps outlined by journalist Steve Bowling that you can take to mitigate any risks.
[Source: Sophia Narwitz (YouTube), VentureBeat]
