Carnival Cruise Line recently disclosed a significant data breach that has impacted the personal information of nearly 6 million of its passengers. The breach was discovered on April 14 when an unauthorized actor accessed part of the company’s IT system through a social engineering attack, deceiving an employee to gain entry.

The cruise line acted swiftly to contain the breach, blocking further unauthorized access and enlisting third-party security experts to enhance its cybersecurity measures. By April 22, Carnival confirmed that the breach had compromised sensitive passenger data, including names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, and government-issued identification numbers such as driver’s licenses and passport numbers.

A notice filed with the Office of the Maine Attorney General revealed that 5,995,277 individuals were affected by this breach. Carnival has begun notifying impacted customers via email and is offering two years of free credit monitoring through TransUnion to help protect against potential identity theft.

In a statement, Carnival expressed regret over the incident and the concerns it may cause. The company emphasized its commitment to strengthening its security and privacy programs, stating, “Carnival has taken further steps to deploy additional safeguards onto our systems, including implementing enhanced security and monitoring controls.”

Carnival is advising affected individuals to remain vigilant by regularly checking their account statements and credit histories for signs of unauthorized activities. The company encourages anyone who suspects identity theft or fraud to contact local law enforcement. For further inquiries, Carnival has set up a dedicated call center at 1-844-593-8310.

Original reporting: NBC Connecticut — read the source article.