Marriott Hacked: Security Breach and Data Compromised

Hotels operated and franchised under Marriott’s brands use an application to help provide services to guests at hotels. At the end of February 2020, Marriott identified that an unexpected amount of guest information may have been accessed using the login credentials of two employees at a franchise property. Marriott believes this activity started in mid-January 2020. Upon discovery, Marriott confirmed that the login credentials were disabled, immediately began an investigation, implemented heightened monitoring, and arranged resources to inform and assist guests.

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Marriott Hacked  Security Breach and Data Compromised

Although our investigation is ongoing, Marriott currently have no reason to believe that the information involved included Marriott Bonvoy account passwords or PINs, payment card information, passport information, national IDs, or driver’s license numbers.

At this point, Marriott believe that the following information may have been involved, although not all of this information was present for every guest involved:

  • Contact Details (e.g., name, mailing address, email address, and phone number)
  • Loyalty Account Information (e.g., account number and points balance, but not passwords)
  • Additional Personal Details (e.g., company, gender, and birthday day and month)
  • Partnerships and Affiliations (e.g., linked airline loyalty programs and numbers)
  • Preferences (e.g., stay/room preferences and language preference)

Guest Notification

On March 31, 2020, Marriott sent emails about the incident to guests involved. The email was sent from marriott@email-marriott.com because this is the standard email account used to communicate with our guests.

Self-Service Portal

Marriott have set up a self-service online portal for guests to be able to determine whether their information was involved in the incident and, if so, what categories of information were involved. This portal can be accessed here.

Dedicated Call Center Resources

Marriott have established dedicated call center resources for guests to obtain more information, which can be reached by calling the following numbers:

  • United States/Canada - +1-800-598-9655
  • Australia - 1800280257
  • France - 0805540130
  • Germany - 08006644414
  • United Kingdom - 08003457018
  • Rest of the World (toll may apply) +1-402-952-5356

The call center resources will be staffed during ordinary business hours in the United States, 8:00am-8:00pm EDT Monday through Friday. Language support will be provided in English and French, and additional translation services will be available upon request.

Additional Guest Support

Marriott have taken the following additional steps to help our guests:

  • Where available, Marriott is offering you the option to enroll in a personal information monitoring service, free of charge for 1 year, as described below.
  • If you are a Marriott Bonvoy member and Marriott have determined that your information was involved:
    • Marriott have disabled your existing Marriott Bonvoy password, so when you log in to your Marriott Bonvoy account at Marriott.com, you will be prompted to change your password.
    • You will also be prompted to enable multi-factor authentication to further protect access to your account.
  • Marriott have notified relevant authorities and are supporting their investigations.

Free IdentityWorks Enrollment

Where available, Marriott is offering guests involved the option to enroll in a personal information monitoring service, IdentityWorks, free of charge for 1 year. This service will be provided by Experian, a global data and information services provider. This is an optional service that allows you to identify information that you would like to have the service monitor; how much information to include in the monitoring is completely up to you. Any information that you provide to Experian will only be used by Experian for the sole purpose of the monitoring service.

Due to regulatory and other reasons, IdentityWorks or similar products are not available in all countries/regions. IdentityWorks is currently available in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Language support for online enrollment is available in English, French, French Canadian, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish.

To use IdentityWorks to start monitoring your personal information please follow the steps below:

  • Ensure that you enroll by June 30, 2020 (your code will not work after this date.)
  • Visit the Experian IdentityWorks website to enroll:
  • Provide your activation code:
    • US Residents: To be provided in the email notice or self-service portal communication
    • Non-US Residents: To be provided in the email notice or self-service portal communication

A credit card is not required for enrollment in Experian IdentityWorks.

Frequently Asked Questions

These Frequently Asked Questions May Be Supplemented From Time to Time

What Happened?

Hotels operated and franchised under Marriott’s brands use an application to help provide services to guests at hotels. At the end of February 2020, Marriott identified that an unexpected amount of guest information may have been accessed using the login credentials of two employees at a franchise property. Marriott believe this activity started in mid-January 2020. Upon discovery, Marriott confirmed that the login credentials were disabled, immediately began an investigation, implemented heightened monitoring, and arranged resources to inform and assist guests.

What information was accessed?

Although our investigation is ongoing, Marriott currently have no reason to believe that the information involved included Marriott Bonvoy account passwords or PINs, payment card information, passport information, national IDs, or driver’s license numbers.

At this point, Marriott believe that the following information may have been involved, although not all of this information was present for every guest involved:

  • Contact details (e.g., name, mailing address, email address, and phone number)
  • Loyalty Account Information (e.g., account number and points balance, but not passwords)
  • Additional Personal Details (e.g., company, gender, and birthday day and month)
  • Partnerships and Affiliations (e.g., linked airline loyalty programs and numbers)
  • Preferences (e.g., stay/room preferences and language preference)

If you are uncertain whether your information was involved in the incident, Marriott have set up a self-service online portal for guests to be able to determine whether their information was involved and, if so, what categories of information were involved. This portal can be accessed here.

What steps did you take in response?

Upon discovery, Marriott confirmed that the login credentials were disabled, immediately began an investigation, implemented heightened monitoring, and arranged resources to inform and assist guests. Internal and external security teams have been working hard to investigate the incident, implement additional security measures, and address what was found.

In addition, if you are a Marriott Bonvoy member and Marriott have determined that your information was involved:

  • Marriott have disabled your existing Bonvoy password, so when you log in to your Marriott Bonvoy account at Marriott.com, you will be prompted to change your password.
  • You will also be prompted to enable multi-factor authentication to further protect access to your account.

Was my information involved in the incident?

On March 31, 2020, Marriott sent emails to guests involved. Marriott have also set up a self-service online portal for guests to be able to determine whether their information was involved in the incident and, if so, what categories of information were involved. This portal can be accessed here.

Was my Marriott Bonvoy password or PIN involved?

No. Marriott currently have no reason to believe that the information involved included Marriott Bonvoy account passwords or PINs. Nonetheless, Marriott encourage you to take steps to protect yourself and your account and have described those steps below under the heading “What other steps can I take?”

Were payment cards involved?

No. Marriott currently have no reason to believe that the information involved included any payment card information.

Were driver’s license or national identification numbers involved?

No. Marriott currently have no reason to believe that the information involved included any driver’s license or national identification numbers.

Were passports involved?

No. Marriott currently have no reason to believe that the information involved any passport information.

How many guests were involved in this incident?

Although Marriott’s investigation is ongoing, the company currently believes that information may have been involved for up to approximately 5.2 million guests.

What is Marriott doing for guests involved?

Marriott are providing guests involved with information about steps they can take, including enrolling in the IdentityWorks online information monitoring service.

Marriott is also working hard to ensure that our guests have answers to questions with a dedicated website and call center resources.

How will I know that the email notification I receive is from Marriott?

Marriott want you to be confident that the email notification you receive is from Marriott. The email was sent from marriott@email-marriott.com because this is the standard email account used to communicate with our guests.

Marriott also want you to be aware that when other companies have provided notifications like this, ill-intentioned people used the opportunity to try to trick individuals into providing information about themselves through the use of links to fake websites (phishing) or by impersonating someone they trust (social engineering). Please note that the email you may receive from us will not contain any attachments or request any information from you.

What is IdentityWorks and how do I enroll?

IdentityWorks is a personal information monitoring service that Marriott will offer, free of charge for 1 year. This service is provided by Experian, a global data and information services provider. This is an optional service that allows guests involved to identify information that you would like to have the service monitor; how much information to include in the monitoring is completely up to you. Any information that you provide to Experian will only be used by Experian for the sole purpose of the monitoring service.

Due to regulatory and other reasons, IdentityWorks or similar products are not available in all countries/regions. IdentityWorks is currently available in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Language support for online enrollment is available in English, French, French Canadian, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish.

To use IdentityWorks to start monitoring your personal information please follow the steps below:

  • Ensure that you enroll by June 30, 2020 (your code will not work after this date.)
  • Visit the Experian IdentityWorks website to enroll:
  • Provide your activation code:
    • US Residents: To be provided in the email notice or self-service portal communication
    • Non-US Residents: To be provided in the email notice or self-service portal communication

A credit card is not required for enrollment in Experian IdentityWorks.

What other steps can I take?

To guard against the information involved being used for phishing or social engineering attempts or attempts to access and use the points in your Marriott Bonvoy account, you can take a number of precautionary steps, in addition to enrolling in IdentityWorks:

  • If you have a Marriott Bonvoy account but have not activated your online access to it and set up a password, you should do so now.
  • Use good password management practices, including not using easily guessed passwords and not using the same password across multiple accounts.
  • Monitor your Marriott Bonvoy account for any activity that you did not initiate and notify us of any suspicious activity.
  • If Marriott have determined that your information was involved in the incident, you will be prompted to reset your password and enable multi-factor authentication to further protect access to your account.
  • You should not provide any information—especially payment card information, other financial account information, online account information, or passwords—to anyone who calls or otherwise contacts you purporting to be from Marriott or a Marriott brand hotel. Marriott will never call or email you to ask you to provide this information by phone or email.
  • You should be vigilant against possible “phishing” emails that appear to be (but are not) sent from Marriott email addresses.
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Note: Some of the information in samples on this website may have been impersonated or spoofed.

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Online Threat Alerts Security Tips

Pay the safest way

Credit cards are the safest way to pay for online purchases because you can dispute the charges if you never get the goods or services or if the offer was misrepresented. Federal law limits your liability to $50 if someone makes unauthorized charges to your account, and most credit card issuers will remove them completely if you report the problem promptly.

Guard your personal information

In any transaction you conduct, make sure to check with your state or local consumer protection agency and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see if the seller, charity, company, or organization is credible. Be especially wary if the entity is unfamiliar to you. Always call the number found on a website’s contact information to make sure the number legitimately belongs to the entity you are dealing with.

Be careful of the information you share

Never give out your codes, passwords or personal information, unless you are sure of who you're dealing with

Know who you’re dealing with

Crooks pretending to be from companies you do business with may call or send an email, claiming they need to verify your personal information. Don’t provide your credit card or bank account number unless you are actually paying for something and know who you are sending payment to. Your social security number should not be necessary unless you are applying for credit. Be especially suspicious if someone claiming to be from a company with whom you have an account asks for information that the business already has.

Check your accounts

Regularly check your account transactions and report any suspicious or unauthorised transactions.

Don’t believe promises of easy money

If someone claims that you can earn money with little or no work, get a loan or credit card even if you have bad credit, or make money on an investment with little or no risk, it’s probably a scam. Oftentimes, offers that seem too good to be true, actually are too good to be true.

Do not open email from people you don’t know

If you are unsure whether an email you received is legitimate, try contacting the sender directly via other means. Do not click on any links in an email unless you are sure it is safe.

Think before you click

If an email or text message looks suspicious, don’t open any attachments or click on the links.

Verify urgent requests or unsolicited emails, messages or phone calls before you respond

If you receive a message or a phone call asking for immediate action and don't know the sender, it could be a phishing message.

Be careful with links and new website addresses

Malicious website addresses may appear almost identical to legitimate sites. Scammers often use a slight variation in spelling or logo to lure you. Malicious links can also come from friends whose email has unknowingly been compromised, so be careful.

Secure your personal information

Before providing any personal information, such as your date of birth, Social Security number, account numbers, and passwords, be sure the website is secure.

Stay informed on the latest cyber threats

Keep yourself up to date on current scams by visiting this website daily.

Use Strong Passwords

Strong passwords are critical to online security.

Keep your software up to date and maintain preventative software programs

Keep all of your software applications up to date on your computers and mobile devices. Install software that provides antivirus, firewall, and email filter services.

Update the operating systems on your electronic devices

Make sure your operating systems (OSs) and applications are up to date on all of your electronic devices. Older and unpatched versions of OSs and software are the target of many hacks. Read the CISA security tip on Understanding Patches and Software Updates for more information.

What if You Got Scammed?

Stop Contact With The Scammer

Hang up the phone. Do not reply to emails, messages, or letters that the scammer sends. Do not make any more payments to the scammer. Beware of additional scammers who may contact you claiming they can help you get your lost money back.

Secure Your Finances

  • Report potentially compromised bank account, credit or debit card information to your financial institution(s) immediately. They may be able to cancel or reverse fraudulent transactions.
  • Notify the three major credit bureaus. They can add a fraud alert to warn potential credit grantors that you may be a victim of identity theft. You may also want to consider placing a free security freeze on your credit report. Doing so prevents lenders and others from accessing your credit report entirely, which will prevent them from extending credit:

Check Your Computer

If your computer was accessed or otherwise affected by a scam, check to make sure that your anti-virus is up-to-date and running and that your system is free of malware and keylogging software. You may also need to seek the help of a computer repair company. Consider utilizing the Better Business Bureau’s website to find a reputable company.

Change Your Account Passwords

Update your bank, credit card, social media, and email account passwords to try to limit further unauthorized access. Make sure to choose strong passwords when changing account passwords.

Report The Scam

Reporting helps protect others. While agencies can’t always track down perpetrators of crimes against scammers, they can utilize the information gathered to record patterns of abuse which may lead to action being taken against a company or industry.

Report your issue to the following agencies based on the nature of the scam:

  • Local Law Enforcement: Consumers are encouraged to report scams to their local police department or sheriff’s office, especially if you lost money or property or had your identity compromised.
  • Federal Trade Commission: Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or use the Online Complaint Assistant to report various types of fraud, including counterfeit checks, lottery or sweepstakes scams, and more.
  • Identitytheft.gov: If someone is using your personal information, like your Social Security, credit card, or bank account number, to open new accounts, make purchases, or get a tax refund, report it at www.identitytheft.gov. This federal government site will also help you create your Identity Theft Report and a personal recovery plan based on your situation. Questions can be directed to 877-ID THEFT.

How To Recognize a Phishing Scam

Scammers use email or text messages to try to steal your passwords, account numbers, or Social Security numbers. If they get that information, they could get access to your email, bank, or other accounts. Or they could sell your information to other scammers. Scammers launch thousands of phishing attacks like these every day — and they’re often successful.

Scammers often update their tactics to keep up with the latest news or trends, but here are some common tactics used in phishing emails or text messages:

Phishing emails and text messages often tell a story to trick you into clicking on a link or opening an attachment. You might get an unexpected email or text message that looks like it’s from a company you know or trust, like a bank or a credit card or utility company. Or maybe it’s from an online payment website or app. The message could be from a scammer, who might

  • say they’ve noticed some suspicious activity or log-in attempts — they haven’t
  • claim there’s a problem with your account or your payment information — there isn’t
  • say you need to confirm some personal or financial information — you don’t
  • include an invoice you don’t recognize — it’s fake
  • want you to click on a link to make a payment — but the link has malware
  • say you’re eligible to register for a government refund — it’s a scam
  • offer a coupon for free stuff — it’s not real

About Online Threat Alerts (OTA)

Online Threat Alerts or OTA is an anti-cybercrime community that started in 2012. OTA alerts the public to cyber crimes and other web threats.

By alerting the public, we have prevented a lot of online users from getting scammed or becoming victims of cybercrimes.

With the ever-increasing number of people going online, it important to have a community like OTA that continuously alerts or protects those same people from cyber-criminals, scammers and hackers, who are every day finding new ways of carrying out their malicious activities.

Online users can help by reporting suspicious or malicious messages or websites to OTA. And, if they want to determine if a message or website is a threat or scam, they can use OTA's search engine to search for the website or parts of the message for information.

Help maintain Online Threat Alerts (OTA).

Marriott Hacked: Security Breach and Data Compromised