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IPFS News Link • Hacking, Cyber Security

Marriott hit by hack that ranks among biggest ever

• https://www.chicagobusiness.com

Marriott International Inc. has been investigating a hack involving unauthorized access to the guest reservation database at its Starwood unit since 2014, in what may be one of the biggest such data breaches.

The attack is troubling not just because of its sheer size, but also the level of detail potentially stolen by the attackers. The hack affects some 500 million guests, and for about 327 million of them, the data included passport numbers, credit card details, emails and mailing addresses, Marriott said.

The Marriott hack may rank only below Yahoo as one of the biggest of personal data, when 3 billion users were exposed to a 2013 security breach. Marriott shares slumped 5.6 percent in pre-market trading.

"We know there's going to be a cost, but how big will it be, I don't know, I don't think Marriott knows," said Michael Bellisario, an analyst at Robert W. Baird & Co. "Marriott's biggest asset is the network effect of customers in the loyalty program.


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