Lawsuits filed after Starwood data breach
Private lawsuits are beginning to be filed and several state investigations are underway following the massive Starwood data breach that was disclosed by owner Marriott International on Friday.
The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office is among national organisations looking into the hack and lawsuits have been filed by individual companies as well as lawyers intending to lead class actions.
A number of lawsuits were filed the same day the company disclosed up to 500 million customers may be impacted by the mega-hack which apparently went unchecked for four years.
The data breach relates to Marriott’s Starwood Hotels & Resorts business, which it acquired in 2016 for $13.6 billion.
The massive hack began a year before Marriott showed interest in acquiring Starwood.
US firm Morgan & Morgan has requested a Maryland court grant class-action status to a lawsuit claiming the company exposed customers ‘to one of the largest digital infestations in history’.
The firm said: “The fact that a breach that began in 2014 went undetected for four years is shocking and horrifying.”