Chinese hackers suspected to be working for China’s Ministry of State Security were behind the massive cyberattack on Marriott International’s subsidiary.
Last month, Marriott disclosed that hackers breached the Starwood guest reservation database. The incident affected around 500 million guests who made reservations at Starwood properties on or before September 10, 2018. The hackers stole personal information including names, e-mail and mailing addresses, phone number, passport details, and credit card information.
On Tuesday, the New York Times reported that the hacking was part of China’s broad intelligence-gathering effort. The Chinese hackers also targeted health insurers and security clearance files of millions more Americans.
The newspaper obtained its information regarding the cyberattacks from two people with knowledge on the preliminary results of ongoing investigation.
Last week, sources told Reuters that security experts looking into the data breach on Marriott made a similar conclusion. Chinese hackers were responsible for the hacking. Security experts noted that the tools and procedures used in the hacking incident were the same methods utilized by Chinese hackers in the past.
U.S. government expected to announce new charges against Chinese hackers
Since 2014, U.S. intelligence officials are accusing China of committing economic espionage and other violations. They found that Chinese military hackers are hacking the computers and stealing the trade secrets of American companies.
