Chinese authorities are investigating a possible data breach at hotel operator Huazhu Group, which could be among the largest ever in the country.
As much as half a billion pieces of customer data may have been stolen and offered for sale on the dark web.
It was first spotted and brought to the attention by a blogger and backed up by cyber-security rearch analysts Zpower.
The company alerted Shanghai Police which is investigating.
The data is reportedly being hawked for eight bitcoins, which is worth about 370,000 yuan.
The leaked data includes 240 million hotel stay records, which comprise guest names, credit card numbers, and mobile numbers.
It also includes millions of log-in ID numbers to the Huazhu website.
The publically listed company operates 18 brands in China with at least 13, including Hanting Hotel, Crystal Orange Hotel, VUE, CitiGO and Grand Mercure Hotels, impacted by the data breach.
Huazhu has hired a cyber-security firm to investigate.
The company manages over 3,000 hotels in more than 370 cities across China, including AccorHotel’s Mercure and Ibis brands.
