The TL;DR
- A Disney employee downloaded an AI tool that secretly contained malware
- Attackers used stolen credentials to access internal systems and leak 1TB of data
- Learn how the breach unfolded and what your employees can do to prevent similar attacks
- Scroll down for a free, 2-minute Fable video briefing you can use to protect your organization
In early 2024, we learned that no amount of pixie dust could protect the Magic Kingdom from being breached—even from preventable attacks. A Disney employee downloaded what appeared to be a harmless AI image-generation tool from GitHub. Hidden in the download was malware that captured the employee’s stored credentials and cookies.
The attacker used those credentials to log into Disney’s internal Slack system and download roughly 1.1 terabytes of data, including sensitive employee records, internal communications, and even customer data from the Disney Cruise Line. The attacker later published the stolen data online after making threats to the employee and the company.
The human factors behind the breach
Only the bare necessities were required for this breach to be successful because it wasn’t an advanced exploit; it simply took advantage of an employee’s insecure practices to pivot from a personal computer to the corporate network.
Here’s what went wrong:
- Mixing work and personal use: corporate credentials were stored on a personal gaming computer.
- Unapproved software downloads: the employee installed an unvetted app from an unverified source.
- Weak credential hygiene: persistent sessions and stored passwords without MFA gave the attacker easy access.
- Lack of verification: the employee didn’t realize the tool was malicious until it was too late.
It’s ironic but appropriate to note how the combination of these factors allowed the holes in the metaphorical slices of Swiss cheese to align. Addressing any one of these issues could have prevented the breach.
How to prevent attacks like this
Most breaches are the result of inadvertent human error. But if employees know what to do, they can be your first line of defense.
Encourage them to:
- Keep work and personal data separate, and use caution when intermingling data on personal devices.
- Use only approved tools—if it’s not on the list, don’t install it.
- Use multi-factor authentication everywhere.
- Avoid storing passwords or cookies on unmanaged devices.
- Report suspicious downloads or messages immediately.
Organizations should also enforce strong endpoint protection, software vetting, and behavioral monitoring to catch risky actions early, before they become breaches.
How Fable Security can help
Below is a short, 2-minute video briefing you can share with your employees that explains what went wrong in the Disney breach and what simple steps your people can take today to prevent the same mistake. Click the “download now” button below to share it with your team right away.
Love this briefing video, and want to see more videos like this that are hyper-targeted and customized to your organization? Try the Fable platform today. Schedule a demo, and we’ll get you access.
