Travel companies were hit by one data breach after another last year — firms including Marriott, British Airways, Delta Air Lines and travel booking site Orbitz.
Marriott estimates that as a result of its breach — in which the reservation database of Starwood-branded hotels in its portfolio was hacked — 383 million guest records could have been affected and 5.25 million unencrypted passport numbers were possibly compromised. And experts expect breaches in the travel sector will continue.
“Travel companies are a prime target of cyberthefts” because they have “highly sensitive, personally identifiable information,” said Eva Velasquez, chief executive of the Identity Theft Resource Center, a national nonprofit organization in San Diego that supports victims of identity theft and seeks to broaden public awareness.
But travellers do have options to protect their information.
Bruce McIndoe, president of WorldAware, a risk management company, recommends creating a “digital persona” when booking travel or making other online transactions. This can include setting up a new, disposable phone number using a service like Google Voice and RingCentral to…
