Business & Tech
Marriott Hotels data breach : 500 million guests may be affected
Company says information was taken from Starwood division reservation database, and cannot rule out loss of payment card data.
In one of the biggest data breaches in history, 500 million Marriot International customers have had their personal data exposed by a breach in one of the group’s reservation systems.
In a statement released today the hotel chain admitted that the guest reservation database of its Starwood division had been compromised by an unauthorized party.
“The company has not finished identifying duplicate information in the database, but believes it contains information on up to approximately 500 million guests who made a reservation at a Starwood property.”
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The statement added that an internal investigation had found that an attacker had been able to access the Starwood network since 2014.
The company said it had begun to notify customers whose records were in the database.
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According to their statement Marriot believes the exposed data included customers’ names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, passport numbers, account information, dates of birth, gender, and travel information
The company admitted that whilst any payment card information stolen would have been encrypted, it could not rule out the possibility that encryption key information could also have been stolen.
"We deeply regret this incident happened," the company said.
The Marriott group said it would contact affected customers whose email addresses were in the Starwood reservation database.
Speaking to The Guardian, the consumer rights organization Which? called the data breach “colossal”. “It is vital that Marriott provides clear information on what has happened and helps anyone who has been negatively impacted,”
Which? further warned Marriott customers to “be wary of emails regarding the breach, as scammers may try and take advantage of it.”
Marriott International bought Starwood in 2016, creating the largest hotel chain in the world. The group currently operates more than 6,700 properties across 129 countries.
Starwood brands include: W Hotels, St. Regis, Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, Westin Hotels & Resorts, Element Hotels, Aloft Hotels, The Luxury Collection, Tribute Portfolio, Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts, Four Points by Sheraton, Design Hotels and Starwood branded timeshare properties.
The Maryland-based company said law enforcement agencies were continuing their investigation.
(Photo: Rick Bowmer, AP)
