Expert: Hotel chain to blame for security breach
226 views · Published 8 December 2018 · 5:42 · Indexed 20 October 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(30 Nov 2018) Cybersecurity expert and NYU professor Justin Cappos says the security breach that compromised the information of as many as 500 million guests shows that Marriott's Starwood hotels did not care about customer security and privacy. The affected hotel brands were operated by Starwood before it was acquired by Marriott in 2016. They include W Hotels, St. Regis, Sheraton, Westin, Element, Aloft, The Luxury Collection, Le Méridien and Four Points. Starwood-branded timeshare properties were also included. None of the Marriott-branded chains were threatened. A security breach inside the hotel empire exposed credit card numbers, passport numbers and birth dates for as long as four years, the company said Friday. The crisis quickly emerged as one of the largest data breaches on record. By comparison, last year's startling Equifax hack affected more than 145 million people. Analysts were alarmed by the length of time the breach had been going on. Many security breaches span months, an average of 90 to 200 days, but this one began in 2014. For as many as two-thirds of those affected, the exposed data could include mailing addresses, phone numbers, email addresses and passport numbers. Also included might be Starwood Preferred Guest account information, date of birth, gender, arrival and departure times and reservation dates. Credit card numbers and expiration dates of some guests may have been taken, according to the company. Passport numbers can be added to full sets of data about a person that bad actors sell on the black market, leading to identity theft. And while the credit card industry can cancel accounts and issue new cards within days, it is a much more difficult process, often steeped in government bureaucracy, to get a new passport. New York's Attoreny General has opened an investigation into the breach. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/d183562bb5f7b33f321ad15f5c7f6b51
