Marriott hack hits 500 million guests

Probe launched as some data breaches could include credit card information

Marriott International Inc said yesterday that hackers accessed about 500 million records in its Starwood Hotels reservation system in an attack that began four years ago, exposing personal data of guests including some payment card numbers.

The New York Attorney General has opened an investigation into one of the biggest data breaches.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said it is looking into the hack, advising the affected customers to monitor credit and report any suspected identify theft.

The hack began in 2014, before Marriott offered to buy Starwood for $12.2 billion in November 2015, acquiring brands including Sheraton, Ritz Carlton and Westin to create the world’s largest hotel operator. The company closed the Starwood deal in September 2016.

Based in Bethesda, Maryland, Marriott is the world’s largest hotel chain with 6,700 properties.

Customers complained to Marriott through its account on Twitter, where Starwood was among the top trending US topics. Some criticised the company, using terms including “duped,” “angry” and “merger disaster” to describe the incident.