Hackers tricked a Carnival employee and leaked customer names, addresses, and government IDs
Cruise operator Carnival Corp said on Wednesday it had detected a cybersecurity incident involving a compromised account of an employee in April, leading to the leak of certain personal information of individuals, including names, addresses and government-issued identification numbers.
The Carnival cruise ship Sunrise docked at Miami Port, Florida, US. REUTERS/Marco Bello.
Cruise operator Carnival Corp said on Wednesday it had detected a cybersecurity incident involving a compromised account of an employee in April, leading to the leak of certain personal information of individuals, including names, addresses and government-issued identification numbers.
- Hackers used social engineering tactics to trick a Carnival employee in April, gaining access to customer names, addresses, and government-issued ID numbers through the compromised account.
- Carnival is notifying affected individuals by email starting May 27 and offering US customers two years of free credit monitoring through TransUnion after quickly blocking the unauthorized activity.
- This marks Carnival's second major data breach since 2021, when unauthorized access affected personal information of guests, employees, and crew across Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, and medical operations.
The company said it quickly blocked the unauthorized activity, which used social engineering to deceive an employee and gain access to the data. Carnival added it hired third-party security experts to conduct a thorough investigation.
The company is notifying the affected individuals by email where possible and offering U.S. customers two years of free credit monitoring through TransUnion, with notifications beginning on May 27, Carnival said in the statement.
Carnival said it has strengthened its security and monitoring controls and will continue to enhance its IT and data protection measures.
The company has urged the affected individuals to enroll in free credit monitoring, remain vigilant for fraud, review account activity and credit reports, and report suspected identity theft to local authorities.
In 2021, Carnival had detected unauthorized access to its computer systems, which affected personal information of some guests, employees and crew for Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises and medical operations.
Unlock more exclusive Cybernews content on YouTube.