Image Comics, the publisher behind creator-owned successes like Saga and The Walking Dead, has issued a security alert after its accounting department’s email was compromised. The breach resulted in phishing emails being sent to comic creators and other industry contacts.
The publisher has warned anyone receiving emails from its accounting department today to be vigilant and not to click on any links or open attachments.
The news first broke on Bleeding Cool, which reported that suspicious emails were being sent from the address of Sue Korpela of the Image Comics Accounting Team. The email, with the subject “FW: Sue Korpela Shared a Document with you (KINDLY REVIEW ATTACHED)”, contained a message designed to trick recipients into clicking a malicious link.
The body of the phishing email read:
Hello there,
Here are the Documents I need you to review, For security reasons I sent them to you using my Microsoft Excel, if you have questions please do not hesitate to reply back to this email
Review DocumentBest Regards, Sue Korpela
Sincerely, Sue Korpela
Accounting Team – Image Comics, Inc. [email protected]”
According to reports, the link directed users to a dubious Russian website.
Image Comics acted to contain the situation, sending out a follow-up email to warn its contacts of the security breach. The publisher’s message, sent from The Image Comics Team, confirmed the hack.
In the statement, the team said, “Sue Korpela’s/Accounting’s email address was hacked around 4 AM Pacific this morning and false emails are still going out to contacts. We’re working to resolve this and regain control of the email account as swiftly as possible—but in the meantime, do NOT open any attachments/click any links in emails from her/the accounting@ email address that you receive today.”
As the third-largest publisher in the direct market, Image Comics’ focus on creator-owned titles means its accounting department is a critical hub for the financial livelihoods of many independent artists and writers. The company, founded in 1992 by Rob Liefeld, Todd McFarlane, Erik Larsen, Jim Lee, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino, is known for publishing hits such as Spawn, Monstress, and Invincible. The publisher is working to secure the account and protect its creators.
This report is based on an article from Bleeding Cool.
