Report: Clues Suggest Chinese Hackers Behind Marriott Breach
Clues left behind in the Marriott data breach suggest that the hackers might be intelligence officers backed by the Chinese government.
According to a new report by Reuters, officials investigating the vast breach of customer data say the the Marriott hackers used "tools, techniques and procedures previously used in attacks attributed to Chinese hackers." Marriott disclosed the massive data breach on Friday, estimating that up to 500 million customers could have had their personal information copied and encrypted into a database by the hackers over the course of four years.
That stolen information mostly includes"some combination of name, mailing address, phone number, email address, passport number, Starwood Preferred Guest ("SPG") account information, date of birth, gender, arrival and departure information, reservation date, and communication preference," Marriott said. An undisclosed amount of customers' payment card information was also taken and possibly unencrypted.
China is now the lead suspect in the breach, the sources familiar with the investigation told Reuters. But, it is possible that another group of hackers used the same techniques attributed to Chinese agents, because their tactics are posted online and accessible for others to utilize. In fact, the same source said that multiple hacking entities could have accessed the Starwood database during the same time period, which began in 2014.
Starwood merged with Marriott earlier this year to create the world's largest hotel chain.
In addition to contacting customers affected by the breach, Marriott said it would pay for new passports for its guests that could prove their passport numbers had been used to commit fraud. For more information on protecting data that could have been compromised in the breach, see this article.
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| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
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Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month