Hotel brand Marriott international has reported a data breach which could have exposed the data of up to 5.2 million guests.
It’s the second data breach to affect the company in the past two years, and this latest incident was linked to an application the brand uses 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.
The company believes that this activity started in mid-January 2020. Upon discovery, the company confirmed that the login credentials were disabled, immediately began an investigation, implemented heightened monitoring, and arranged resources to inform and assist guests. Marriott also notified relevant authorities and is supporting their investigations.
Although Marriott’s investigation is ongoing, the company said it 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.
However, information that could have been exposed includes:
- Contact details (e.g., name, mailing address, email address, and phone number)
- Loyalty account information (e.g., account number and points balance, but not passwords)
- Additional personal details (e.g., company, gender, and birthday day and month)
- Partnerships and affiliations (e.g., linked airline loyalty programs and numbers)
- Preferences (e.g., stay/room preferences and language preference)
Marriott said: “Today (31 March), Marriott is sending emails to guests involved. 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.
“Marriott carries insurance, including cyber insurance, commensurate with its size and the nature of its operations, and the company is working with its insurers to assess coverage. The company does not currently believe that its total costs related to this incident will be significant.”
