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Marriott reveals data breach of 500 million Starwood guests
CNN ^ | November 30, 2018 | Jordan Valinsky

Posted on 11/30/2018 6:58:20 AM PST by EdnaMode

Marriott says its guest reservation system has been hacked, potentially exposing the personal information of approximately 500 million guests.

The hotel chain said Friday the hack affects its Starwood reservation database, a group of hotels it bought in 2016 that includes the St. Regis, Westin, Sheraton and W Hotels.

Marriott said hackers had gained "unauthorized access" to the Starwood reservation system since 2014, but the company only identified the issue last week.

"The company recently discovered that an unauthorized party had copied and encrypted information, and took steps towards removing it," Marriott said in a statement.

For 327 million people, Marriott says the guests' exposed information includes their names, phone numbers, email addresses, passport numbers, date of birth and arrival and departure information. For millions others, their credit card numbers and card expiration dates were potentially compromised.

Marriott warns that it can't confirm if the hackers were able to decrypt the credit card numbers.

(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: databreach; marriot; starwood
Have they blamed the Russians yet?
1 posted on 11/30/2018 6:58:20 AM PST by EdnaMode
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To: EdnaMode

How many guests do they even have in there? only 6 billion in the world.


2 posted on 11/30/2018 6:59:08 AM PST by a fool in paradise (Denounce DUAC - The Democrats Un-American Activists Committtee)
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To: EdnaMode

How far back is the affected database? I think I may have once stayed in one of the various Starwood motels years ago, certainly before 2014.


3 posted on 11/30/2018 7:00:43 AM PST by EinNYC
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To: EdnaMode

That’s why I use AirBnB.


4 posted on 11/30/2018 7:07:47 AM PST by BobL (I eat at McDonald's and shop at Walmart - I just don't tell anyone.)
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To: EdnaMode
(from the article):" For millions others, their credit card numbers and card expiration dates were potentially compromised."

Interesting about Marriott, because for the last month I have been receiving spam calls from Marriott
offering me a free overnight stay.
Several decades ago, I used to work part-time for Marriott,
and never knew them to offer anything for "Free".
The timing of this acknowledgement of hacking is sure to reduce the number of customers over the Christmas holidays.

5 posted on 11/30/2018 7:10:14 AM PST by Tilted Irish Kilt
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To: EdnaMode

500 million? I think there is a bit of numbers inflation here.


6 posted on 11/30/2018 7:14:39 AM PST by allblues (God is neither a Republican nor a Democrat but Satan is definitely a Democrat)
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To: EinNYC

I’m not sure. Hopefully not too far back.


7 posted on 11/30/2018 7:21:25 AM PST by EdnaMode
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To: EdnaMode

“...their names, phone numbers, email addresses, passport numbers, date of birth and arrival and departure information.”

Chinese, Indian, or Russian fake ID providers must be having a bidding war about now.


8 posted on 11/30/2018 7:37:32 AM PST by VanShuyten ("...that all the donkeys were dead. I know nothing as to the fate of the less valuable animals.")
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To: EdnaMode

This is why hotels should adopt Apple Pay and Android Pay. That way, whatever financial information the hackers take is useless since both Apple Pay and Android Pay use special codes that are not anywhere near the financial information hackers covet.


9 posted on 11/30/2018 8:11:25 AM PST by RayChuang88 (FairTax: America's Economic Cure)
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To: EdnaMode

Starwood has done nothing but go downhill since Marriott took it over. It used to be one of the better hotel brands, and the industry’s best rewards program and credit card. I’ve stopped using the card and am close to cancelling it after nearly 20 years. Things change...


10 posted on 11/30/2018 8:39:47 AM PST by The Truth Will Make You Free
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To: EdnaMode

I’m sure HIPPA will protect our Med records as they go online into the WildWestWeb:-),


11 posted on 11/30/2018 8:52:03 AM PST by Harpotoo (Being a socialist is a lot easier than having to WORK like the rest of US:-))
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To: Tilted Irish Kilt
Interesting about Marriott, because for the last month I have been receiving spam calls from Marriott offering me a free overnight stay.

I have been receiving spam calls for years from Starwood motels and another chain I can't remember. They get about 5 seconds of phone time. As soon as I recognize that it's not a legitimate call, I hit the "block" button and bye....

12 posted on 11/30/2018 9:03:56 AM PST by EinNYC
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To: The Truth Will Make You Free

My daughter used to work for Starwood, and she’d agree. She didn’t stay long after they were bought by Marriott.


13 posted on 11/30/2018 10:39:42 AM PST by Andy'smom (Proud member of the basket of deplorables)
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To: Andy'smom

Hmm. Could records show movies or porn a customer viewed ?
Blackmail usages ?


14 posted on 12/01/2018 7:37:43 PM PST by George from New England (escaped CT in 2006, now living north of Tampa)
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