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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has mandated that Marriott International and Starwood Hotels implement a series of security enhancements following multiple data breaches that exposed the personal information of over 344 million customers. These breaches, occurring between 2014 and 2018 for Starwood and in 2018 for Marriott, revealed sensitive data including credit card details, passport information and other personal information. The FTC's order requires no less than 13 changes to their cybersecurity measures, emphasizing the critical need for proactive data protection against potential future incidents.

The mandated changes include establishing a comprehensive information security program, implementing a policy to only retain personal information for as long as necessary, and providing a way for U.S. customers to request deletion of personal information linked to their email or loyalty accounts. Marriott is also required to review and restore any stolen loyalty points upon customer request. These measures aim to prevent misrepresentation of how customer data is handled and provide enhanced security against future data breaches. The FTC also noted that the companies must not misrepresent how they collect, maintain, use, delete or disclose consumers’ personal information.

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References:

• www.techmeme.com - Techmeme highlights a story about the US FTC orders Marriott and Starwood to implement a robust customer data security scheme. - 2d
• 9to5Mac - 9to5Mac reports Massive Marriott and Starwood data breaches require 13 fixes, says the FTC. - 2d
• www.bleepingcomputer.com - BleepingComputer reports the FTC ordered Marriott and Starwood to implement strict data security - 2d
• Techmeme - US FTC orders Marriott and Starwood to implement a robust customer data security scheme after Starwood's 2014 to 2018 breaches and Marriott's 2018 breach (Bill Toulas/BleepingComputer) - 2d
• @Techmeme - The US FTC orders Marriott and Starwood to implement a robust customer data security scheme after Starwood's 2014 to 2018 breaches and Marriott's 2018 breach (Bill Toulas/BleepingComputer) - 2d
• 9to5mac.com - Massive Marriott and Starwood data breaches require 13 fixes, says the FTC - 2d
• Latest from TechRadar - The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has told Marriott International and Starword Hotels to implement a robust customer data security scheme following … - 2d
• SiliconANGLE - Marriott and Starwood ordered to implement security overhaul in FTC settlement - 2d
• siliconangle.com - Marriott and Starwood ordered to implement security overhaul in FTC settlement - 2d

Classification:

• HashTags: MarriottBreach DataSecurity FTC
• Company: Marriott
• Target: Marriott and Starwood Customers
• Product: Hotels
• Feature: Data Security
• Type: DataBreach
• Severity: Major