Nov 30, 2018, 5:05 am
Last edit by: MasterGeek
From Starwood Lurker team :
Please visit info.starwoodhotels.com for more information about this incident, available resources and steps you can take.
Marriott has announced a massive breach of data belonging to 500 million guests who stayed at hotel brands including W, Sheraton, and Westin.
Marriott announced on Friday that it had "taken measures to investigate and address a data security incident" that stemmed from its Starwood guest authorization database.
The company said it believes that around 500 million people's information was accessed, including an unspecified number who had their credit card details taken. It affects customers who made bookings on or before September 10, 2018.
http://uk.businessinsider.com/marriott-data-breach-500-million-guests-affected-2018-11?r=US&IR=T
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/marriott-announces-starwood-guest-reservation-database-security-incident-300758155.html
You can enroll in the "identity" monitoring service provided by Marriott due to this breach here, it cannot be called "credit monitoring" because it doesn't provide access to viewing credit bureau report data (as held by Equifax, TransUnion, Experian) nor notifications when credit report data changes :
https://answers.kroll.com/us/index.html
Please visit info.starwoodhotels.com for more information about this incident, available resources and steps you can take.
Marriott has announced a massive breach of data belonging to 500 million guests who stayed at hotel brands including W, Sheraton, and Westin.
Marriott announced on Friday that it had "taken measures to investigate and address a data security incident" that stemmed from its Starwood guest authorization database.
The company said it believes that around 500 million people's information was accessed, including an unspecified number who had their credit card details taken. It affects customers who made bookings on or before September 10, 2018.
http://uk.businessinsider.com/marriott-data-breach-500-million-guests-affected-2018-11?r=US&IR=T
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/marriott-announces-starwood-guest-reservation-database-security-incident-300758155.html
You can enroll in the "identity" monitoring service provided by Marriott due to this breach here, it cannot be called "credit monitoring" because it doesn't provide access to viewing credit bureau report data (as held by Equifax, TransUnion, Experian) nor notifications when credit report data changes :
https://answers.kroll.com/us/index.html
Starwood/Marriott Data Breach 500 Million Guests affected, Marriott fined £18.4m
Apr 4, 2019, 10:44 pm
#526
Join Date: Jan 2016
Programs: UA 1K; *G, AA Plat
Posts: 1,700
Flying a domestic or international flight on UA shouldn't be the basis of losing your privacy to hackers
Using your credit card at Target shouldn't be the basis of losing your privacy to hackers.
Working on a US government contract shouldn't be the basis of losing your privacy to hackers (referencing OPM breach)
Hopefully you're getting the hint now.
Unfortunately, it's the world we live in. It happened to most/all of us.
Yes, Marriott could grant you your status, but it's slim if not just wishful thinking. They have absolutely no reason to. They're inherently, first and foremost, a business.
Apr 4, 2019, 11:05 pm
#527
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 2,358
What is in it for Marriott to do this? Goodwill and a return of a lot of members who were demoted and left Marriott.
Apr 4, 2019, 11:08 pm
#528
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2002
Programs: UALifetimePremierGold, Marriott LifetimeTitanium
Posts: 71,103
Ok, color me confused. You're upset about MAR (well, SPG actually since SPG was the actual data breach) data breach & do the never stay at them again blah,blah, but if they give you Plat again you're ok w/ the data breach & will take it & then stay w/ MAR again? 
So you're pissed off about the (potential) data breach, but are ok w/ it if they're willing to bribe you back w/ Plat status even though you haven't earned it. Do I have it right? Again, confused.
Cheers.
So you're pissed off about the (potential) data breach, but are ok w/ it if they're willing to bribe you back w/ Plat status even though you haven't earned it. Do I have it right? Again, confused.
Cheers.
Apr 4, 2019, 11:17 pm
#529
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 2,358
Ok, color me confused. You're upset about MAR (well, SPG actually since SPG was the actual data breach) data breach & do the never stay at them again blah,blah, but if they give you Plat again you're ok w/ the data breach & will take it & then stay w/ MAR again?
So you're pissed off about the (potential) data breach, but are ok w/ it if they're willing to bribe you back w/ Plat status even though you haven't earned it. Do I have it right? Again, confused.
Cheers.
(1) I never said I was upset. I merely asked a question and offered an explanation for why I asked.
(2) "pissed off" - where did that come from?
(3) Color me confused, too.
(4) Do you have it right? Obviously not!
(5) You are funny! And thank you for your humorous response.
Apr 4, 2019, 11:29 pm
#530
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2002
Programs: UALifetimePremierGold, Marriott LifetimeTitanium
Posts: 71,103
Well, let's answer the last question in your OP. Yes, you're wishing too much to have Plat status renewed because you didn't stay enough to earn it simply because of a data breach from years ago that you may or may not have been affected by. I received the same email. Given it was an SPG issue from years ago I didn't pay much attention to it & continued my stays w/ MAR.
You chose not to. That's absolutely your choice & I will back you up 100% on that & your decision to book elsewhere. Walk your talk. However, because you chose to do that, I don't think you're entitled to Platinum status because of the data breach. You can give MAR a call & ask them as a 'one-time gesture' to grant you Plat status due to the data breach, but they may or may not do it.
I received the same email as you & did not change my passport or DL or change my CC. Given the data breach was (going from memory here SPG 2014) I figured if I was screwed on ID/Passport, it would have happened before MAR mentioning it last year. That's definitely a to each their own. If you chose to renew or change everything, again good for you & walking your talk, but if not also understand.
You chose not to. That's absolutely your choice & I will back you up 100% on that & your decision to book elsewhere. Walk your talk. However, because you chose to do that, I don't think you're entitled to Platinum status because of the data breach. You can give MAR a call & ask them as a 'one-time gesture' to grant you Plat status due to the data breach, but they may or may not do it.
I received the same email as you & did not change my passport or DL or change my CC. Given the data breach was (going from memory here SPG 2014) I figured if I was screwed on ID/Passport, it would have happened before MAR mentioning it last year. That's definitely a to each their own. If you chose to renew or change everything, again good for you & walking your talk, but if not also understand.
Apr 5, 2019, 12:54 am
#532
Join Date: Nov 2008
Programs: SPG-Plat, Hilton-Diamond, Club Carlson-Silver, Cathay-Diamond, Virgin-Gold
Posts: 2,183
Far to much and also appearing opportunistic I have to say.
I am curious you say due to the data breach you stopped staying and as such lost your Platinum status. What has changed since then to make you wish to start staying again and trust Marriott? It's not like Marriott IT over the last 6 months has built confidence so why do you now feel your data will be safe with Marriott whereas when the data breach was announced you did not?
I am curious you say due to the data breach you stopped staying and as such lost your Platinum status. What has changed since then to make you wish to start staying again and trust Marriott? It's not like Marriott IT over the last 6 months has built confidence so why do you now feel your data will be safe with Marriott whereas when the data breach was announced you did not?
Apr 5, 2019, 2:29 am
#533
Join Date: May 2018
Location: Tokyo
Programs: Bonvoy LT Titanium ANA Diamond
Posts: 763
Excise me. Do you NOT know who he is ! A Plat, They are so rare I think MAR will go crazy to get him back !! only another 50m or so .
In other words yes, you have no right to get Plat as you have no earned it ! As LTTE , they less Plats the better for us !
In other words yes, you have no right to get Plat as you have no earned it ! As LTTE , they less Plats the better for us !
Apr 5, 2019, 4:06 am
#534
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Toronto
Programs: UA 1K, AC MM E75, Marriott LT Ti, IHG Dia Amb, Hyatt Glob
Posts: 15,510
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marr...fected-31.html
I found post #463 and 488 to be very interesting and very possible given the state of Marriott IT.
Welcome back, and I think you should earn your status like everyone else.
I found post #463 and 488 to be very interesting and very possible given the state of Marriott IT.
Welcome back, and I think you should earn your status like everyone else.
Apr 5, 2019, 4:40 am
#535
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: ORD (formerly SAN)
Programs: Hilton Diamond; IHG Platinum; Bonvoy Gold; AA Platinum Pro and United Premier Silver (DH = AA EXP)
Posts: 1,927
Wow, people are jaded on this forum. Breach of your privacy should not be the norm. There are data privacy laws that specifically try to prevent these from being the norm. In any case, OP - your best bet for compensation would be joining the class action (which will net customers next to nothing, but the lawyers in millions) or opt of the class action and suing individually. There are too many people affected by the breach (me being one of them) for Marriott to handle one by one.
Apr 5, 2019, 5:10 am
#536
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Toronto
Programs: UA 1K, AC MM E75, Marriott LT Ti, IHG Dia Amb, Hyatt Glob
Posts: 15,510
Wow, people are jaded on this forum. Breach of your privacy should not be the norm. There are data privacy laws that specifically try to prevent these from being the norm. In any case, OP - your best bet for compensation would be joining the class action (which will net customers next to nothing, but the lawyers in millions) or opt of the class action and suing individually. There are too many people affected by the breach (me being one of them) for Marriott to handle one by one.
OK, here's the deal. There never was a data breach. The file they "found" was created as part of the due diligence process when Marriott and others were evaluating Starwood for acquisition. Ask yourself what hacker capable of penetrating deep into a secure data center and gaining total access to the database would then extract a copy of the data, encrypt it and then leave it there? No hacker ever. Because there has been no evidence that any of this data has ever been found outside of Starwood/Marriott, they had to invent the story that it was the Chinese and state sponsored spying. Really? The file was stored on the most secure system available to Starwood primarily because Marriott had the habit of asking for the same data over and over. So instead of going through the extract process multiple times, the original file was resent. Since all of the former IT staff had either left or been released when the file was discovered, there was no one around to tell them why it was there and they simply assumed the worst.
Apr 5, 2019, 5:44 am
#537
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 3,458
Does anyone know why you would bother to get a new passport? What is someone going to do with that? Immigrate?
As for the rest of the OPs demands, he/she can try. Who cares? I doubt they will meet his/her request because the issue and the 'remediation' aren't at all related LOL!
(Yeah I like the excuse of "I quit staying due to your breach, but now I want you to love me again")
As for the rest of the OPs demands, he/she can try. Who cares? I doubt they will meet his/her request because the issue and the 'remediation' aren't at all related LOL!
(Yeah I like the excuse of "I quit staying due to your breach, but now I want you to love me again")
Apr 5, 2019, 5:55 am
#538
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Barcelona, London, on a plane
Programs: BA Silver, TK E+, AA PP, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 13,033
I think the OP has forgotten that the CEO considers us to be "noise around the edges" that can be ignored.
Apr 5, 2019, 5:56 am
#539
Join Date: Nov 2005
Programs: Chick-Fil-A Red, Wawa, Red Cross blood donor
Posts: 4,824
Add me to the list that says you're asking too much. However...
They might say, sure, we'll give you Platinum status in 2120. 
Apr 5, 2019, 6:35 am
#540
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: DAY
Programs: Rapid Rewards, Skymiles, Hilton HHonors, SPG/Marriott Rewards
Posts: 4,941
