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Disney to stop using Slack after summer hacking incident

The logo for Slack hangs outside of the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street on June 20, 2019. Disney said it will stop using Slack by the end of its first fiscal quarter. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
The logo for Slack hangs outside of the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street on June 20, 2019. Disney said it will stop using Slack by the end of its first fiscal quarter. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

Sept. 20 (UPI) -- Disney told employees on Thursday that it will no longer use Slack for internal communication after a hack earlier this year allowed cybercriminals to expose financial materials, computer codes, and other information to the public.

The Walt Disney Company officially notified employees that the company will cut itself off from Slack by the end of its fiscal quarter, in a memo to employees viewed by CNBC and Business Insider. Disney had told investors that the hack would not impact them.

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The hacking group called NullBulge claimed responsibility for accessing Disney's Slack files.

"I would like to share that senior leadership has made the decision to transition away from Slack across the company," Disney CFO Hugh Johnston said in a company newsletter. "Our technology teams are now managing the transition of Slack."

Nullbulge said it got access to 1.1 terabytes of messages and other materials from Disney. The entertainment giant said it is still investigating the incident.

Johnston said employees will also be trained in best practices, handling work-related collaborations and handling sensitive information soon to help prevent a similar hack.

Before the announcement, Salesforce, which owns Slack, said Disney continues to use its products in its Disney store, guides and operations. Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce said its security is "rock solid" but companies have to do their part in preventing phishing tactics by hackers to be successful.

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