The hack exposed guest information dating back to 2014.<\/b>
\nMarriott\u2019s reservation database has been hacked, potentially affecting hundreds of millions of guests who have stayed in the hotel chain\u2019s properties since 2014, the company announced on Friday.
In a press release on its website, the company said it was first alerted that an unauthorized party had attempted to access its guest reservation database for its Starwood properties, which comprises hotel chains including the W and Four Points by Sheraton, on September 8. An investigation revealed that there had been \u201cunauthorized access to the Starwood network since 2014,\u201d and that approximately 500 million guests\u2019 personal information had been compromised.
For roughly 327 million of those guests, the data breach revealed \u201csome combination of name, mailing address, phone number, email address, passport number, Starwood Preferred Guest (\u2018SPG\u2019) account information, date of birth, gender, arrival and departure information, reservation date, and communication preferences,\u201d according to the company\u2019s statement. Other guests\u2019 credit card numbers and expiration dates also may have been accessed.
\u201cWe deeply regret this incident happened,\u201d Marriott president and CEO Arne Sorenson said in a statement. \u201cWe fell short of what our guests deserve and what we expect of ourselves. We are doing everything we can to support our guests, and using lessons learned to be better moving forward.\u201d
The hack affected an estimated 500 million guests who have stayed at Marriott\u2019s Starwood brand hotels since 2014. Those properties include the W Hotels, the St. Regis, Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, Westin Hotels & Resorts, Element Hotels, Aloft Hotels, the Luxury Collection, Tribute Portfolio, Le M\u00e9ridien Hotels & Resorts, Four Points by Sheraton, Design Hotels, and Starwood-branded timeshares, according to the company. (Marriott acquired Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide in 2016 for $13.6 billion.)
Marriott will begin emailing guests whose information may have been compromised on November 30, the company said in a statement. It has also set up a dedicated website and call center for guests who have questions about the hack and whether their information was compromised, and is giving guests in the US, UK, and Canada free year-long subscriptions to WebWatcher, a software that alerts users of potential identity theft or fraud.
\u201cThe names, addresses, passport numbers and other sensitive personal information that was exposed is of greater concern than the payment info, which was encrypted,\u201d Ted Rossman, an industry analyst at CreditCards.com, told Skift, a business-to-business media company that reports on the travel industry. \u201cPeople should be concerned that criminals could use this info to open fraudulent accounts in their names.\u201d
Rossman recommended that anyone whose information may have been compromised freeze their credit cards to prevent the hackers from opening fraudulent accounts in their name.
Marriott is by no means the first big company to get hacked. Mashable keeps a running list of companies that have been hacked, including eBay, Home Depot, and Chipotle. Target was hacked in 2005, and again in 2014; the second breach affected 70 million people. In 2017, hackers targeted the credit reporting agency Equifax, exposing the information of more than 145 million customers \u2014 nearly half the total US population.
After last year\u2019s Equifax hack, Wired put together a guide to protecting yourself and your information. Some of the tips are straightforward, like changing your passwords and using a password manager instead of reusing passwords from site to site. They also suggest that you check the website HaveIBeenPwned to see if your information is floating around somewhere on the internet without your knowledge. If your information has been compromised, the good news is that passwords and credit card numbers are easy to change. If hackers got access to your Social Security number, though, Wired suggests you keep an eye on your bank account from now until the end of time.
Even if your information wasn\u2019t compromised in the Marriott hack, it\u2019s possible that at some point, your name, address, credit card information, or even your Social Security number has been exposed through some kind of corporate hack. The Marriott hack is being described as one of the biggest data breaches in history \u2014 and it\u2019s unlikely to be the last.<\/p>\n