Carnival Cruise Line has announced a significant data breach that has potentially exposed the personal information of nearly 6 million passengers. The breach was discovered on April 14, when an unauthorized actor gained access to a portion of Carnival’s IT systems through a social engineering scheme that deceived an employee.

Details of the Breach

The company acted swiftly to block the unauthorized access and engaged third-party security experts to enhance its security measures and conduct a thorough investigation. By April 22, Carnival determined that the breach had impacted personal data, including names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, and government-issued identification numbers such as driver’s license and passport numbers.

Although Carnival has not disclosed the exact number of passengers affected, a notice filed with the Office of the Maine Attorney General indicates that 5,995,277 individuals were impacted. Affected passengers are being notified via email and are being offered two years of free credit monitoring services through TransUnion.

Response and Recommendations

Carnival has expressed regret over the incident, stating, “Carnival deeply regrets this incident and any concern it may cause.” The company has implemented additional security and monitoring controls to prevent future breaches and is committed to ongoing information security reviews.

Passengers affected by the breach are urged to remain vigilant by regularly checking their account statements and credit histories for signs of identity theft or fraud. Carnival advises contacting local police if any unauthorized activities are suspected. For further inquiries, affected individuals can reach out to Carnival’s dedicated call center at 1-844-593-8310.

Original reporting: NBC6 Miami — read the source article.