Zillow Group

Zillow Group, headquartered in the United States, operates an online platform for real estate listings. The company's service allows property owners to list homes for sale or rent, facilitating connections between buyers, sellers, and renters. This platform serves as a digital venue for property advertisements and market information. The core business revolves around providing accessible real estate data through its website.

In February 2019, a security incident involved a hacker compromising a high-value property listing on Zillow. The attacker impersonated the legitimate owner using a fake mobile number and a Chinese IP address, bypassing the platform's verification measures. The hacker altered the listing to display a fraudulent sale price $60 million below the actual value and advertised a fake open house event. Despite the owners' prompt request for removal, Zillow delayed taking down the false information for over a week. This led to a $60 million lawsuit against the company, with plaintiffs alleging inadequate security protocols despite Zillow's claims of rigorous data accuracy safeguards. The incident highlighted potential weaknesses in the platform's verification and response procedures, raising concerns about the integrity of property listings and the platform's security measures.