While guests might immediately check to see if there credit card payments, the main risk is that “criminals could use this info to open fraudulent accounts in their names”.
(Photo: iStock)
A security breach inside Marriott’s worldwide hotel empire has compromised the information of as many as 500 million guests, exposing in some cases credit card numbers, passport numbers and birth dates, the company said Friday.
Alarming security analysts, Marriott said that unauthorized access to data at former Starwood hotels and that company’s reservation system has been taking place since 2014.
It may be among the largest data breaches on record. Last year’s alarming Equifax hack affected more than 145 million people.
The affected hotel brands operated by Starwood before it was acquired by Marriott in 2016, include W Hotels, St Regis, Sheraton, Westin, Element, Aloft, The Luxury Collection, Le Méridien and Four Points. Starwood branded timeshare properties are also included.
Marriott owns Protea in South Africa and the report confirmed – one of the Marriott-branded chains are threatened.
“Customers of Marriott should look to change their password and be extra vigilant for suspicious emails, texts or phone calls, as this stolen information could easily be used for targeted social engineering and impersonation attacks,” says Steve Malone, director of security product management at Mimecast.
Malone states future confidence in the group’s security due diligence has been severely undermined, weighing the costs of the breach against Caveat emptor or the need for the buyer to be aware of any resulting issues.
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The company said credit card numbers and expiration dates of some guests may have been taken.
