Executive Summary
In June 2024, SoundCloud experienced a significant security breach where threat actors compromised their infrastructure, resulting in outages and disruption of VPN connectivity. The attackers exfiltrated a database containing users' email addresses and profile information, exposing sensitive member data. The attack led to service interruptions that impacted both staff operations and user access, highlighting vulnerabilities in SoundCloud’s VPN and internal data security protocols. Subsequent investigations revealed that unencrypted network traffic and insufficient segmentation allowed the attackers to move laterally and extract confidential data.
This incident exemplifies the growing trend of targeting cloud-based media platforms using sophisticated techniques, including exploiting VPN weaknesses and lateral movement within corporate networks. With regulatory scrutiny increasing around customer data privacy and the persistent rise in credential-driven breaches, organizations face mounting pressure to strengthen east-west security and encrypted network controls.
Why This Matters Now
This breach underscores the urgent importance of securing east-west network traffic and implementing robust VPN protections. As attackers increasingly exploit cloud environments and target user data, organizations must address weak internal segmentation and data-in-transit gaps to comply with evolving privacy regulations and protect their customers’ trust.
Attack Path Analysis
The attackers initially gained unauthorized access, potentially exploiting exposed or vulnerable VPN or network components. Privileges were escalated, allowing broader access to sensitive internal systems. Following this, the attackers moved laterally within the cloud and data center environment to reach valuable assets and databases. They established command and control channels, possibly leveraging compromised outbound connections for persistence and remote management. Sensitive member data, including email addresses and profile information, was exfiltrated from a compromised database. The breach resulted in disruptions to VPN access and internal outages, impacting business operations and exposing user information.
Kill Chain Progression
Initial Compromise
Description
Attackers gained access via exposed or compromised VPN infrastructure, possibly exploiting weak controls or misconfigurations to infiltrate the environment.
Related CVEs
CVE-2024-57062
CVSS 7.8A privilege escalation vulnerability in the SoundCloud iOS application v7.65.2 allows local attackers to obtain sensitive information via the session handling component.
Affected Products:
SoundCloud Inc. SoundCloud iOS Application – 7.65.2
Exploit Status:
no public exploitCVE-2023-32586
CVSS 6.5A missing authorization vulnerability in the SoundCloud Is Gold plugin for WordPress allows unauthorized access to certain functionalities, potentially leading to exploitation of incorrectly configured access control security levels.
Affected Products:
Thomas Michalak SoundCloud Is Gold – <= 2.5.1
Exploit Status:
no public exploitCVE-2023-52205
CVSS 9.1A deserialization of untrusted data vulnerability in the HTML5 SoundCloud Player with Playlist Free plugin for WordPress allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code.
Affected Products:
SVNLabs Softwares HTML5 SoundCloud Player with Playlist Free – <= 2.8.0
Exploit Status:
proof of concept
MITRE ATT&CK® Techniques
Valid Accounts
Exploit Public-Facing Application
Phishing
Remote Services
Credentials from Password Stores
Data from Local System
Transfer Data to Cloud Account
Data Encrypted for Impact
Potential Compliance Exposure
Mapping incident impact across multiple compliance frameworks.
PCI DSS 4.0 – Strong Authentication for User Accounts
Control ID: 8.2.3
NYDFS 23 NYCRR 500 – Cybersecurity Policy
Control ID: 500.03
DORA (Digital Operational Resilience Act) – ICT Risk Management Framework
Control ID: Art. 9
CISA Zero Trust Maturity Model 2.0 – Authenticate and Authorize All Users
Control ID: Identity Pillar: Access Management
NIS2 Directive – Technical and Organizational Measures
Control ID: Art. 21(2)
GDPR – Security of Processing
Control ID: Art. 32
Sector Implications
Industry-specific impact of the vulnerabilities, including operational, regulatory, and cloud security risks.
Entertainment/Movie Production
Audio streaming platforms like SoundCloud face direct data breach risks exposing user profiles, requiring enhanced encrypted traffic and egress security capabilities.
Music
Music industry platforms vulnerable to VPN disruption and database theft, necessitating zero trust segmentation and multicloud visibility for artist/user data protection.
Broadcasting/Media
Media streaming services face similar database exposure risks, requiring threat detection capabilities and secure hybrid connectivity to protect subscriber information and content delivery.
Internet
Online platforms handling user data face comparable breach vectors, demanding cloud firewall protection and anomaly detection to prevent email address and profile data theft.
Sources
- SoundCloud confirms breach after member data stolen, VPN access disruptedhttps://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/soundcloud-confirms-breach-after-member-data-stolen-vpn-access-disrupted/Verified
- SoundCloud confirms data breach - user info stolen, here's what you need to knowhttps://www.techradar.com/pro/security/soundcloud-confirms-data-breach-user-info-stolen-heres-what-you-need-to-knowVerified
- SoundCloud data breach affects 20% of usershttps://cybernews.com/security/soundcloud-data-breach-affects-fifth-of-users/Verified
- SoundCloud Confirms Data Breach Following VPN and Access Issueshttps://cybersecuritynews.com/soundcloud-data-breach/Verified
Frequently Asked Questions
Cloud Native Security Fabric Mitigations and ControlsCNSF
Application of Zero Trust segmentation, encrypted traffic controls, and robust egress policy enforcement would have severely constrained the attacker's ability to traverse, persist, and exfiltrate within the cloud environment. Real-time visibility, microsegmentation, and anomaly detection capabilities of CNSF help reduce lateral movement, block unauthorized outbound data flows, and rapidly respond to suspicious activity.
Control: Cloud Firewall (ACF)
Mitigation: Prevents unauthorized external network access.
Control: Zero Trust Segmentation
Mitigation: Limits attacker ability to access privileged management or sensitive services.
Control: East-West Traffic Security
Mitigation: Detects and blocks unauthorized internal movement.
Control: Threat Detection & Anomaly Response
Mitigation: Detects covert remote access and anomalous outbound command channels.
Control: Egress Security & Policy Enforcement
Mitigation: Blocks unauthorized outbound data and detects exfiltration attempts.
Ensures visibility and rapid response to contain the breach and minimize operational impact.
Impact at a Glance
Affected Business Functions
- User Account Management
- Platform Availability
Estimated downtime: 2 days
Estimated loss: $500,000
Approximately 28 million user email addresses and public profile information were accessed by unauthorized parties. No sensitive data such as passwords or financial information was compromised.
Recommended Actions
Key Takeaways & Next Steps
- • Implement cloud-native firewalls and strict network access controls to minimize public exposure of sensitive interfaces.
- • Enforce granular zero trust segmentation and least privilege policies across cloud and data center environments.
- • Apply deep east-west traffic inspection to detect and block unauthorized lateral movement in real time.
- • Establish robust egress filtering with continuous monitoring for data exfiltration and anomalous outbound activities.
- • Expand centralized visibility and real-time threat detection across all cloud workloads and hybrid connections.
