Skip to main content

Amazon breach exposes an unknown number of email addresses

Amazon blamed a technical error for a glitch that inadvertently displayed the names and email addresses associated with users accounts on its website. Though the online retail giant did not provide specific details about the incident that occurred ahead of Black Friday deals, it already began notifying affected customers by email. If you haven’t received communications from Amazon, you’re likely not affected by this technical error.

“We have fixed the issue and informed customers who may have been impacted,” Amazon said in a statement. Amazon has so far not revealed how many email addresses were affected, where the breach occurred, or how long the breach was active before Amazon implemented the fix. “Twitter users across Europe and the United States have reported receiving the email, and forum posts suggest that the error affected consumer rather than business accounts on the platform,” The Verge reported. Additionally, members of Amazon Vine review programs may have also been affected, according to The Telegraph.

Recommended Videos

If you have received notification from Amazon, the online giant claims that the glitch has been fixed and that you do not need to take any action. Because Amazon’s initial email contained a link on the bottom with an “http” — not an “https” — address and offered very little details surrounding the breach, customers who received the email thought it was a scam, but Amazon later confirmed the email was legitimate. Since Amazon claims that neither its system nor its website was breached, according to ZDNet, users do not have to worry about changing their passwords. However, because the breach exposed a user’s email address, Amazon customers affected by the breach may be more at risk for phishing attacks and spam in the future.

It’s unclear at this time if Amazon had reported the breach to local law enforcement authorities. It appears, at least from what Amazon is disclosing, that this latest breach is unrelated to an earlier breach in October that similarly exposed the email addresses of Amazon’s customers. Amazon revealed that its October breach was a result of a few of its employees selling customer information with a third party. In that breach, Amazon claimed that it fired the responsible employees and was working with law enforcement officials.

Chuong Nguyen
Silicon Valley-based technology reporter and Giants baseball fan who splits his time between Northern California and Southern…
Amazon’s AI shopper makes sure you don’t leave without spending
Amazon Buy for Me feature.

The future of online shopping on Amazon is going to be heavily dependent on AI. Early in 2025, the company pushed its Rufus AI agent to spill product information and help users find the right items. A few weeks later, another AI tool called Interests made its way to the shopping site. 

The new Alexa+ AI assistant is also capable of placing orders semi-autonomously, handling everything from groceries to booking appointments. Now, the company has started to test yet another AI agent that will buy products from other websites if they’re not available on Amazon — without ever leaving the app. 

Read more
Amazon has AMD and Nvidia GPU stock for you, but you’ll need Prime
AMD Radeon RX 9070 GPUs from different brands

Amazon appears to be taking measures to combat GPU scalping by reserving some stock of Nvidia’s RTX 5000 and AMD’s Radeon 9000 series graphics cards for its Prime subscribers. According to a report by Club386, select high-end GPUs are now available exclusively to Prime members, potentially limiting the impact of scalpers and resellers. Notably, Amazon has not explicitly announced this as an anti-scalping tactic, leaving room for speculation about its true intentions.

Several Nvidia RTX 5000 series GPUs, from the RTX 5080 to the RTX 5070, are listed as "reserved for Prime members" on Amazon, preventing non-members from purchasing them. The flagship RTX 5090 is notably exempt, likely due to its high price, while the RTX 40 series remains unaffected, possibly because of limited remaining stock.

Read more
Amazon’s AI agent will make it even easier for you to part with your money
Amazon Nova Act performing task in a web browser.

The next big thing in the field of artificial intelligence is Agentic AI, which is essentially an AI tool that can automate certain multi-step processes for users. For example, interacting with a web browser for tasks like booking tickets or ordering groceries. 

Amazon certainly sees a future in there. After giving a massive overhaul to Alexa and introducing a new Alexa+ assistant, the company has today announced a new AI agent called Nova Act. Amazon says Nova Act is designed to “complete tasks in a web browser.” Amazon won’t be the first to reach this milestone, as few other AI companies have already attempted this vision. 

Read more