Espionage, Id Theft? Myriad Risks From Stolen Marriott Data
The data stolen from the Marriott hotel empire in a massive breach is so rich and specific it could be used for espionage, identity theft, reputational attacks and even home burglaries, security experts say.
Hackers stole data on as many as 500 million guests of former Starwood chain properties over four years including credit card and passport numbers, birthdates, phone numbers and hotel arrival and departure dates.
It is one of the biggest data breaches on record. By comparison, last year's Equifax hack affected more than 145 million people. A Target breach in 2013 affected more than 41 million payment card accounts and exposed contact information for more than 60 million customers.
But the target here hotels where high-stakes business deals, romantic trysts and espionage are daily currency makes the data gathered especially sensitive.
The affected reservation system could be extremely enticing to nation-state spies interested in the travels of military and senior government officials, said Jesse Varsalone, a University of Maryland cybersecurity expert.
