Car rental giant Avis Rent A Car has taken a hit in the latest cyberattack. 

The New Jersey-headquartered company has admitted that it discovered intruders in one of its business applications. 

The security incident has apparently impacted hundreds of thousands of people, revealing their personal information and driver’s license numbers to hackers.

GET SECURITY ALERTS, EXPERT TIPS — SIGN UP FOR KURT’S NEWSLETTER — THE CYBERGUY REPORT HERE

Details about the cyberattack

Avis is in the process of notifying around 300,000 people that their personal information and driver’s license numbers were stolen in an August cyberattack.

“We discovered on August 5, 2024, that an unauthorized third party gained access to one of our business applications. 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,” the company said in a notice shared with Maine’s attorney general. The company went onto say, “Based on our investigation, we determined that the unauthorized access occurred between August 3, 2024, and August 6, 2024.” 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE U.S. NEWS

Avis did not disclose the nature of the cyberattack and details of the incident remain scarce. The car rental company did reveal that the stolen information included customer names, mailing addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, credit card numbers and expiration dates, and driver’s license numbers.

Illustration of a hacker at work. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

HERE’S WHAT RUTHLESS HACKERS STOLE FROM 110 MILLION AT&T CUSTOMERS

Texas residents are most affected

The report to Maine’s attorney general showed that 299,006 people have been affected by the Avis data breach so far. Another filing in Texas revealed that 34,592 people from Texas were impacted, making it the state with the most affected residents.

Avis, which also owns Budget and Zipcar, has over 10,000 rental locations across 180 countries. The company stores a large amount of customer data, so it’s unclear why it didn’t take better steps to protect it from this breach.

Illustration of a hacker typing on their computer. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

HACKED, SCAMMED, EXPOSED: WHY YOU’RE ONE STEP AWAY FROM DISASTER ONLINE

The company’s response

Upon discovering unauthorized access on Aug. 5, 2024, the company acted swiftly to terminate the intrusion and initiated a thorough investigation with external cybersecurity experts. Avis has begun notifying affected customers and filed data breach notices with various U.S. attorneys general, offering one year of free credit monitoring services to those impacted. 

Additionally, the company is enhancing its security measures and implementing safeguards across its systems while maintaining transparency about the types of compromised information and the timeline of the breach. 

However, concerns linger regarding the adequacy of Avis’s data protection practices and the oversight of its cybersecurity protocols.

We reached out to Avis for a comment, but did not hear back before our deadline.

Six ways to protect yourself from data breaches

1. Monitor your accounts and transactions: The Avis data breach exposes your credit card number and expiration date, which hackers can use to steal your money. If you have been affected by this data breach, check your online accounts and transactions regularly for any suspicious or unauthorized activity. If you notice anything unusual, immediately report it to the service provider or authorities. You should also review your credit reports and scores to see if there are any signs of identity theft or fraud.

2. Contact your bank and credit card companies: Since hackers have obtained your bank or credit card information, they could use it to make purchases or withdrawals without your consent. You should inform your bank and credit card companies of the situation. They can help you freeze or cancel your cards, dispute any fraudulent charges and issue new cards for you.

3. Use personal data removal services: Your personal data will be available on the internet for any scammer to use due to the breach. Consider investing in personal data removal services that specialize in continuously monitoring and removing your personal information from various online databases and websites. I mentioned above that hackers also stole driver’s licenses, which could be used to validate the data. The ID can be misused in more ways than you can imagine, including impersonation. Check out my top picks for data removal services here.

4. Be wary of mailbox communications: Bad actors may also try to scam you through snail mail. The data leak gives them access to your address. They may impersonate people or brands you know and use themes that require urgent attention, such as missed deliveries, account suspensions and security alerts.

5. Be alert for phishing scams: Cybercriminals may try to trick you into giving more personal information by sending fake emails or messages that look like they’re from Avis. Don’t click on suspicious links or provide sensitive information unless you’re sure the request is legitimate.

The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe. Get my picks for the best 2024 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android & iOS devices.

6. Use an identity theft protection service: Identity theft companies can monitor personal information like your Social Security Number (SSN), phone number and email address and alert you if it is being sold on the dark web or being used to open an account. They can also assist you in freezing your bank and credit card accounts to prevent further unauthorized use by criminals. See my tips and best picks on how to protect yourself from identity theft.

SUBSCRIBE TO KURT’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL FOR QUICK VIDEO TIPS ON HOW TO WORK ALL OF YOUR TECH DEVICES

Kurt’s key takeaway

Avis is yet another company added to the growing list of those affected by data breaches, putting customer information at risk. It’s becoming all too common, and these big corporations don’t seem to be learning from what’s happening. What’s clear is that protecting customer data isn’t their top priority, so it’s important to take matters into your own hands. Be cautious when clicking on links, and consider investing in data removal and identity theft protection services to protect your personal information online.

Do you believe companies are doing enough to protect your personal data, or are they neglecting their responsibilities? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact

For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter

Ask Kurt a question or let us know what stories you’d like us to cover.

Follow Kurt on his social channels:

 Answers to the most-asked CyberGuy questions:

New from Kurt:

Copyright 2024 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.

Apple’s new “Visual Intelligence” feature was one of the most impressive things shown at Monday’s iPhone 16 event. The tool lets users scan the world around them through the iPhone’s camera to identify a dog breed, copy event details off a poster, or look up just about anything around them.

It’s a handy-looking feature that fits right in with the iPhone’s new camera button. But it may also be setting the stage for bigger products down the road: it’s the exact kind of thing Apple will need for future tech like AR glasses.

It’s not hard to imagine how Visual Intelligence could help you out on a device that sees everything you see. Take the idea of learning more about a restaurant, like Apple showed for Visual Intelligence on an iPhone: instead of fishing your phone out of your pocket to look up information about a new spot, with glasses, you could just look at the restaurant, ask a question, and have the glasses tell you more.  

Meta has already proven that computer glasses with an AI assistant can be a good and useful tool for identifying things. It’s not a great leap to imagine Apple doing something similar with a very high level of fit and finish for theoretical glasses. Apple would almost certainly make glasses connect back to all of your apps and personal context on your iPhone, too, which would make Visual Intelligence even more handy. 

Of course, Apple already does have a headset covered in cameras: the Vision Pro. But most people don’t walk around with their headset outside of their house, and they probably already know about the things they have at home. It’s long been reported that Apple wants to develop a pair of true AR glasses, and that feels like the ultimate destination for this kind of tech.

The thing is, Apple-made AR glasses might be very far away. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported in June that a 2027 launch date has been “bandied about” for its in-development glasses but noted that “no one I’ve spoken to within Apple believes the glasses will be ready in a few years.”

But whenever those glasses arrive, they’re going to need software — and you can see Apple building out the basics of it here. Visual Intelligence might be Apple’s first step toward the killer app for computer spectacles, and by starting now, Apple will potentially have years to refine the feature before it shows up in glasses. 

It wouldn’t be unprecedented for Apple to take that approach. The company iterated on AR technologies in the iPhone for years before launching the Vision Pro. Yes, the Vision Pro is arguably much more of a VR headset than an AR device, but it’s clearly a first step toward something that could turn into AR glasses. As Apple improves that hardware, it can work on software features like Visual Intelligence on the iPhone, too, and when the time is right, pack all of the best ideas into a glasses-like product. 

Welcome to Fox News’ Artificial Intelligence newsletter with the latest AI technology advancements.

IN TODAY’S NEWSLETTER:

– James Earl Jones’ controversial AI decision will let Darth Vader live on, but it raises concerns among actors
– China opts out of international blueprint to stop AI race in weapons development
– Majority of Americans don’t trust AI-generated election information, poll finds

A NEW HOPE: Jones, who died Monday at the age of 93, provided the voice of the character in the franchise, and now, through artificial intelligence, his signature voice and performance can live on.

BEIJING BELLIGERENCE: China this week chose not to sign onto an international “blueprint” agreed to by some 60 nations, including the U.S., that looked to establish guardrails when employing artificial intelligence for military use. 

AI AND YOUR VOTE: Most Americans do not believe artificial intelligence (AI) is trustworthy for election information.

Rolls of “I Voted” stickers are stored at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center ahead of the 2024 Arizona Primary and General elections in Phoenix, on June 3, 2024.  (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

TOUCHY-FEELY ROBOT: In a groundbreaking development, scientists have found a way to give robots a sense of touch without relying on expensive artificial skin. This innovation, spearheaded by a team from the German Aerospace Centre, could revolutionize human-robot interactions and make robots more adaptable and intuitive to use.

AI robot with internal sensors (German Aerospace Centre) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

Subscribe now to get the Fox News Artificial Intelligence Newsletter in your inbox.

FOLLOW FOX NEWS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
Twitter
LinkedIn

SIGN UP FOR OUR OTHER NEWSLETTERS

Fox News First
Fox News Opinion
Fox News Lifestyle
Fox News Health

DOWNLOAD OUR APPS

Fox News
Fox Business
Fox Weather
Fox Sports
Tubi

WATCH FOX NEWS ONLINE

Fox News Go

STREAM FOX NATION

Fox Nation

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future with Fox News here.