Marriott and Starwood Hotels: A Case Study in Data Security Failures
Marriott & Starwood face FTC order for major data breaches.
Matilda
Marriott and Starwood Hotels: A Case Study in Data Security Failures
The recent Federal Trade Commission (FTC) order against Marriott International and its subsidiary, Starwood Hotels, serves as a stark reminder of the critical importance of data security in today's digital age. The order stems from a series of major data breaches that exposed the personal information of over 344 million customers worldwide, highlighting the severe consequences of lax security practices and the critical need for robust data protection measures. The Breach: A Timeline of Events 2014: A sophisticated cyberattack compromised the Starwood guest reservation database, granting attackers access to sensitive customer information. 2018: The breach was finally discovered, revealing that attackers had maintained access to the system for nearly four years, undetected. 2020: Subsequent investigations uncovered two additional breaches, further emphasizing the vulnerability of the company's systems. The Impact: A Global Data Compromise The breaches resulted in the exposure of a vas…
