Cruise operator Carnival has warned hackers could have accessed staff and customers' personal data in a cyber security breach.
Carinval, which owns Cunard and P&O Ferries, told its regulators hackers accessed encrypted parts of its IT systems through a ransomware attack.
Carnival said it is still investigating the attack, which hit one of the company's brands, although Carnival declined to say which was affected and how many customers or staff have been impacted, the PA news agency reports.
"We expect that the security event included unauthorised access to personal data of guests and employees, which may result in potential claims from guests, employees, shareholders or regulatory agencies," it said.
It added: "Based on its preliminary assessment and on the information currently known (in particular, that the incident occurred in a portion of a brand's information technology systems), the company does not believe the incident will have a material impact on its business, operations or financial results. "
The company has already hired lawyers and is working with "industry-leading cybersecurity firms" to respond to the threat, defend Carnival's IT systems and start remediation.
The attack was discovered on Saturday, Carnival said.
It comes at a difficult time for the cruise giant which has been severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Its many ships have been forced to stay in port for months as international travel is restricted and passengers are wary about getting back onto the seas.
Carnival added: "Although we believe that no other information technology systems of the other company's brands have been impacted by this incident based upon our investigation to date, there can be no assurance that other information technology systems of the other company's brands will not be adversely affected."
