Tuesday, April 29, 2025
HomeCyber security CourseAmtrak Data Breach: Hackers Accessed User's Email Address

Amtrak Data Breach: Hackers Accessed User’s Email Address

Published on

SIEM as a Service

Follow Us on Google News

Amtrak notified its customers regarding a significant security breach involving its Amtrak Guest Rewards accounts.

The breach between May 15, 2024, and May 18, 2024, allowed unauthorized parties to access users’ accounts.

The company believes the hackers obtained login credentials from third-party sources rather than Amtrak’s systems.

- Advertisement - Google News

This incident has raised customers’ concerns about the security of their personal information and the potential for identity theft.

What Information Was Compromised?

During the breach, the unauthorized party changed the affected accounts’ email addresses and accessed sensitive information.

Scan Your Business Email Inbox to Find Advanced Email Threats - Try AI-Powered Free Threat Scan

This included users’ names, contact information, Amtrak Guest Rewards account numbers, dates of birth, partial payment details (such as credit card numbers and expiration dates), gift card information (including card numbers and PINs), and details about their transactions and trips with Amtrak.

The extent of the accessed information has heightened the urgency for affected users to take immediate protective measures.

Amtrak’s Response and Recommendations

Upon discovering the breach on May 15, 2024, Amtrak promptly initiated an investigation and took steps to secure the compromised accounts.

The company reverted the email addresses to the original users and reset the account passwords.

Additionally, Amtrak has enabled multifactor authentication (MFA) for all Amtrak Guest Rewards accounts to enhance security.

Users must now enter a validation code via email or text to complete their login process.

Amtrak has advised affected customers to change their login credentials, not only for their Amtrak accounts but also for any other online accounts that may use similar usernames and passwords.

The company also recommends reviewing these accounts for any suspicious activity.

Furthermore, Amtrak has provided a comprehensive Reference Guide with steps to protect personal information, including ordering free credit reports, placing fraud alerts, and considering security freezes on credit files.

Steps for Affected Users

Amtrak’s Reference Guide outlines several critical steps for users to safeguard their information and mitigate identity theft risk.

Affected individuals are encouraged to:

  1. Order Free Credit Reports: Under U.S. law, individuals are entitled to one free credit report annually from the three nationwide consumer reporting agencies. Reviewing these reports can help identify any unauthorized accounts or inaccuracies.
  2. Place Fraud Alerts: A fraud alert notifies potential creditors to take extra steps to verify the identity of anyone applying for credit in the user’s name, thereby helping to prevent identity theft.
  3. Consider Security Freezes: A security freeze restricts access to the user’s credit file, making it more difficult for identity thieves to open new accounts. Users must place a freeze with each consumer reporting agency individually.
  4. Report Incidents: Any detected fraud or identity theft incidents should be reported to law enforcement, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the user’s state Attorney General. The FTC provides resources and guidance on how to recover from identity theft.

The Amtrak data breach has underscored the importance of robust cybersecurity measures and the need for individuals to remain vigilant in protecting their personal information.

While Amtrak has taken steps to secure affected accounts and prevent future breaches, users are also responsible for following the recommended actions to safeguard their identities.

As cyber threats evolve, companies and consumers must proactively combat data breaches and protect sensitive information.

Free Webinar! 3 Security Trends to Maximize MSP Growth -> Register For Free

Divya
Divya
Divya is a Senior Journalist at GBhackers covering Cyber Attacks, Threats, Breaches, Vulnerabilities and other happenings in the cyber world.

Latest articles

Researchers Uncover SuperShell Payloads and Various Tools in Hacker’s Open Directories

Cybersecurity researchers at Hunt have uncovered a server hosting advanced malicious tools, including SuperShell...

Cyber Espionage Campaign Targets Uyghur Exiles with Trojanized Language Software

A sophisticated cyberattack targeted senior members of the World Uyghur Congress (WUC), the largest...

Konni APT Deploys Multi-Stage Malware in Targeted Organizational Attacks

A sophisticated multi-stage malware campaign, potentially orchestrated by the North Korean Konni Advanced Persistent...

Outlaw Cybergang Launches Global Attacks on Linux Environments with New Malware

The Outlaw cybergang, also known as “Dota,” has intensified its global assault on Linux...

Resilience at Scale

Why Application Security is Non-Negotiable

The resilience of your digital infrastructure directly impacts your ability to scale. And yet, application security remains a critical weak link for most organizations.

Application Security is no longer just a defensive play—it’s the cornerstone of cyber resilience and sustainable growth. In this webinar, Karthik Krishnamoorthy (CTO of Indusface) and Phani Deepak Akella (VP of Marketing – Indusface), will share how AI-powered application security can help organizations build resilience by

Discussion points


Protecting at internet scale using AI and behavioral-based DDoS & bot mitigation.
Autonomously discovering external assets and remediating vulnerabilities within 72 hours, enabling secure, confident scaling.
Ensuring 100% application availability through platforms architected for failure resilience.
Eliminating silos with real-time correlation between attack surface and active threats for rapid, accurate mitigation

More like this

Researchers Uncover SuperShell Payloads and Various Tools in Hacker’s Open Directories

Cybersecurity researchers at Hunt have uncovered a server hosting advanced malicious tools, including SuperShell...

Cyber Espionage Campaign Targets Uyghur Exiles with Trojanized Language Software

A sophisticated cyberattack targeted senior members of the World Uyghur Congress (WUC), the largest...

Konni APT Deploys Multi-Stage Malware in Targeted Organizational Attacks

A sophisticated multi-stage malware campaign, potentially orchestrated by the North Korean Konni Advanced Persistent...