U.S. car rental company Avis revealed that it recently suffered a data breach, with the attackers gaining access to personal data belonging to customers.
That personal information included the customer’s name and other details, according to the notification.
The firm did not reveal how many people nationwide were affected by the breach.
“After becoming aware of the incident, we immediately took steps to end the unauthorized access, began an investigation with assistance from cybersecurity experts, and alerted the relevant authorities,” Avis stated in its notification to customers.
The company asked customers to “remain vigilant against threats of identity theft or fraud.”
“You can do this by regularly reviewing and monitoring your account statements and credit history for any signs of unauthorized transactions or activity. You can contact the credit reporting agencies if you suspect any unauthorized activity,” it stated.
Avis is offering affected individuals free credit monitoring services from Equifax for one year. The service provides identity detection and helps to resolve identity theft issues, the company said in its notification about the breach. Affected customers are required to sign up by Dec. 31.
The company stated that it’s working with cybersecurity experts to boost security protections for the business application affected by the hack.
Additional safeguards have been implemented into the firm’s system, with Avis “actively reviewing” its security monitoring and controls.
The Epoch Times reached out to Avis for comment.
State of Car Security
According to the 2024 Global Automotive Cybersecurity Report by network security firm Upstream, 50 percent of all cyber incidents in the auto sector last year had a “high or massive impact,” and 95 percent of the attacks were found to have been executed remotely.Over past years, cybersecurity risks in the industry have grown from experimental hacks to large-scale attacks, with the number and scale of cyber incidents rising “significantly” to the extent that it threatens the safety of the vehicle and the passengers, according to Upstream.
“The number of high and massive-scale incidents more than doubled between 2022 and 2023,” the report reads.
“High and massive-scale attacks can potentially impact up to millions of mobility assets (e.g. vehicles, charging stations, companion apps, backend systems).”
Upstream called electric vehicle (EV) charging a “growing threat frontier,” with charging stations becoming a “battleground for attacks.”
EVs currently make up about 15 percent of new car sales globally. By 2040, they are expected to gain the “majority of market share,” Upstream stated.
“Cyber-attacks on charging stations can be prevented to a large extent through proper security measures and protocols. While it’s challenging to achieve 100 percent prevention, proactive steps can significantly reduce the risk of attacks,” he said.