15-year-old hacks Bandai streaming service, cancels 46,800 accounts

Key takeaway

• A 15-year-old Japanese student was arrested for hacking Bandai Channel, a streaming service, and canceling roughly 46,800 user accounts by exploiting a system flaw.

• The attack forced the company to shut down the service and revealed that up to 1,366,000 items of personal information, including email addresses, may have been breached.

• The student used ChatGPT to write malicious code and changed his IP address multiple times to evade the company's initial security blocks.

3 Key Points

FAQ

How did the teenager hack into Bandai Channel?

He identified a vulnerability in the system by analyzing the company's data traffic, then used the ChatGPT AI chatbot to create a malicious program that canceled user accounts. When Bandai Namco Filmworks blocked his access, he changed his IP address about 30 times to continue making unauthorized cancellations.

What personal information was exposed in the breach?

Up to 1,366,000 items of personal information, including email addresses, may have been breached.

When did this attack happen?

The attack occurred on November 4, 2025, between 5 p.m. and 8:46 p.m., resulting in the cancellation of 46,812 accounts and causing the company to briefly suspend the service.