COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, along with 49 other state attorneys general, has secured a $52 million settlement with Marriott International Inc. following an extensive investigation into a significant data breach. The breach, which compromised the personal information of approximately 131.5 million hotel guests, stemmed from vulnerabilities in a guest-reservation system Marriott acquired through its 2016 purchase of Starwood Hotels. The investigation revealed that cyber intruders gained access to the Starwood system as early as July 2014, going undetected until September 2018. By then, sensitive data—ranging from names and addresses to passport numbers and credit card details—had been exposed for millions of guests worldwide. "Marriott was supposed to be a trusted gatekeeper of millions of people's personal information, but it failed," said Yost in a public statement. "We're holding the company accountable and ensuring they have the tools in place to prevent a repeat performance."