Source: TOI
In another major cyber breach, personal data of up to 52 lakh guests of Marriott International may have been compromised by hackers. This comes after Marriott International suffered a similar breach in December 2018 where up to 500 million guest were affected. The hack which started in January 2020 and attackers accessed data using the login credentials of two employees at a franchise property.
In another major cyber breach, personal data of up to 52 lakh (5.2 million) guests of Marriott International may have been compromised by hackers. This comes after Marriott International suffered a similar breach in December 2018 where up to 500 million guest were affected.
As per a statement by Marriott International, personal data that may be compromised include name, mailing address, email address, and phone number. Other details include loyalty account information, additional personal details like company, gender, and birthday day and month; partnerships and affiliations like linked airline loyalty programs and numbers; and preferences like stay/room preferences and language preference.
“Although Marriott’s investigation is ongoing, the company currently has no reason to believe that the information involved included Marriott Bonvoy account passwords or PINs, payment card information, passport information, national IDs, or driver’s license numbers,” claimed the company.
The hack started in January. Hotels operated and franchised under Marriott’s brands use an application to help provide services to guests at hotels. “At the end of February 2020, the company identified that an unexpected amount of guest information may have been accessed using the login credentials of two employees at a franchise property,” it said.
Marriott International further added that when it discovered the breach, it confirmed that the login credentials were disabled and immediately began an investigation. “Marriott also notified relevant authorities and is supporting their investigations,” it added.
“Marriott has also set up a dedicated website (www.mysupport.marriott.com) and call center resources with additional information for guests. The call center resources can be reached by calling the numbers listed on the dedicated website. The email sent to guests and the website also contain a list of steps guests involved can consider taking and information about enrolling in a personal information monitoring service that Marriott is providing,” the statement said.
