Marriott International Loses Half a Billion Records to Hackers
Marriott International, a large American hotel chain, recently has had one of the largest breaches in history. The hotel’s shares have already dropped 5.6% due to this breach and there is still potential for much more severe consequences. Marriott International has agreed to pay for new passports at customers’ requests, following the breach, costing them $110 per passport. Hotels have become the biggest targets of all point-of-sale breaches making up 92% of the intrusions just last year.
During the Marriott International breach, half-a-billion records have been exposed for around 327 million people. Records including names, addresses, date of birth, passport numbers and even credit card information had been accessed by hackers. Although the credit cards information was encrypted, the keys to decrypt them were also taken. There hasn’t been a definite answer as to what exactly has been taken and how much of it, so the extent of the damage is yet to be released. However, it has been identified that the breach has been traced back to Chinese hackers.
This breach may have been prevented with a proper implementation of a cybersecurity system. Cybersecurity defenses protect against major attacks, ensuring no data loss. The larger the company the bigger the risk when it comes to data since there is more to breach; however, an attack can happen to anyone at any time. And nowadays, techniques are constantly evolving and changing. An efficient cybersecurity system will not only protect but keep up with the new ways a hacker can find or even create a vulnerability. Implementing a cybersecurity system isn’t free, but the price of handling an attack is much greater.
Digital Edge's VP of Compliance is proficient in international, federal, and local cybersecurity laws and regulations. These laws and regulations are put in place to ensure the security within a company. Digital Edge has been an expert in cybersecurity for over 20 years. Our Security Team preforms 24/7 monitoring for our clients to ensure maximum safety. We find potential vulnerabilities before they could be breached, executes penetration testing and keeps up with the latest tricks from hackers. Digital Edge also wants to raise awareness to the community by creating newsletters every time there is a new threat.
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