Pennsylvania’s no-nonsense top prosecutor declared Wednesday that a $2.4 million settlement that compromised 1.3 million credit cards ‘will serve as an example’ to any future corporations who fail to protect consumers, Your Content has learned.
Attorney General Josh Shapiro today said an investigation into a 2017 data breach of an online hotel booking company’s reservation system that exposed the information of 1.3 million credit cards has resulted in a multi-million dollar settlement.
The Office of Attorney General, along with the attorneys general of 26 other states, has entered into a $2.4 million settlement with Sabre Corporation. Pennsylvania will receive $85,483.13, plus injunctive relief.
“Businesses are responsible for protecting the private data of their customers from being swiped, and Sabre failed in this duty,” said AG Shapiro. “This settlement will serve as an example to other companies and prevent future data breaches. My office will continue to hold any business that does not protect its customers’ personal information accountable.”
Sabre Hospitality Solutions, a business segment of Sabre, operates the SynXis Central Reservation system, which facilitates the booking of hotel reservations. SynXis connects business travel coordinators, travel agencies, and online travel booking companies on one end to Sabre’s hotel customers on the other.
On June 6, 2017, Sabre informed its hotel customers of a data breach that had occurred between August 2016 and March 2017, which the business had disclosed in a SEC filing the month before. Notice to consumers was provided by the hotels, resulting in some notices being issued as late as 2018, and some consumers receiving multiple notices stemming from the same breach.
Today’s settlement requires Sabre to implement and maintain a comprehensive information security program, implement a written incident response and data breach notification plan, implement specific security requirements, undergo a third-party security assessment, provide the Attorneys General with a list of all the customers it has notified of the breach, and additional measures.
Joining Attorney General Shapiro in this settlement are the Attorneys General of Vermont, Arkansas, Connecticut, Illinois, Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington.
More information about security breaches, consumer protection, and protecting yourself from identity theft can be found at https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/protect-yourself/identity-theft/.