Smashing Pumpkins frontman paid ransom to a hacker who threatened to leak the band’s songs

The frontman of the American alternative rock band Smashing Pumpkins, Billy Corgan, has revealed he paid hackers who stole the band’s songs

The frontman of the alternative rock band Smashing Pumpkins, Billy Corgan, revealed he paid a ransom after a hacker stole the band’s songs and threatened to leak them.

The hacker stole some of the most important songs from the band’s three-part rock opera Atum before the launch on the market planned for May 5, 2023.

The leak could have had a dramatic impact on the promotion and the sales of the band’s album, for this reason, Corgan opted to pay the ransom. The FBI investigated the case, according to Corgang the hacker also stole similar material from other unnamed artists.

“They were all probably the most catchy, single-y type songs. So not only is it six months too early, you’re pretty much giving away the album before you even have a chance to set your feet into the ground. Corgan told the Klein Ally Show. “Somehow, some hacker was offering the files for money, and we were able to trace it and pay off and keep it from leaking. The FBI got involved. I don’t know how they got what they got.” “It was a mercenary person who had hacked somebody, I don’t want to say who, and they had other stuff from other artists. It wasn’t like some Pumpkins fan who was hellbent on breaking it on Reddit. Somehow, they gave some information that allowed the FBI to track them.”

The theft of intellectual property and documents from public figures such as artists and celebrities is very concerning. The industry behind them is often completely unprepared. Even famous people often completely ignore the importance of the security of their devices and become easy prey for hackers and cybercriminals.

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Pierluigi Paganini

(SecurityAffairs – hacking, Smashing Pumpkins)