Carnival (NYSE: CCL) yesterday announced that earlier this week it had discovered a ransomware attack on one of its brands that accessed and encrypted its information technology system. The company did not name the brand, but said some of its databases were downloaded.
The company said it believes personal data of its guests and employees were accessed during the attack. Carnival said it immediately reported the incident to law enforcement, and an investigation is ongoing.
Image Source: Getty Images.
The cruise operator has seen its business shut down from consequences affected by the coronavirus pandemic. In its most recent quarterly earnings report, the company said it expects an average monthly cash fire rate of $ 650 million for the second half of 2020. The company has joined the sector-wide plan to halt U.S. operations by at least October 31st.
However, Carnival has tried to restart some of its international operations. In early August, it had plans to sail with its AIDA line in Europe. But it did not receive the expected approval from the Italian government, and departures planned for between 5 August and 12 August had to be canceled.
The recent attack of ransomware comes after the company finally needed some good news to report on the front of operations: The announced AIDA cruises from September 6, 2020 from Germany would be resumed.
Of the cyberattack, Carnival says it works with “leading cyber security companies in the sector,” and it does not currently believe the attack “will have a material impact on its business, operations or financial results.”
