We might have a better idea of who was behind the massive Marriott data breach affecting millions of the hotel chain's guests.
People briefed on an investigation into the cyberattack told The New York Times the hack was part of a Chinese intelligence-gathering effort. The hackers are believed to have been connected to China's Ministry of State Security — which is kind of like the U.S.' CIA.
Here's a refresher: In November, Marriott revealed that hackers had accessed the personal information of as many as 500 million guests in its Starwood reservations database. The hotel chain said the hack started back in 2014, but it only learned of it in September.
The Times reports the intelligence-gathering effort also targeted health insurers and millions of other security clearance files.
The report comes as the Trump administration is reportedly gearing up to take certain actions against China, including bringing indictments against Chinese hackers who work for the intelligence community.
While the Marriott data breach probably won't be included in this first round of indictments, the Times says it may have sped up the Trump administration's crackdown.
