British hoteliers warned of rise in cyber attacks
Two luxury hotels in Cornwall have become victims of cyber attacks, which are increasingly common at British hotels, according to a new report.
It suggested criminals hack into bookings systems and block all access, then demand ransoms.
Neither of the unnamed Cornish hotels paid the ransom, according to the report in The Times, but they had to spend large sums to overhaul their systems.
Previous attacks in the US and Europe suggest that hackers could also steal guests’ personal data, including credit card details, and shut down other systems, such as key card systems.
British-owned InterContinental Hotels Group revealed last month that it was investigating claims that customers’ credit and debit card details were stolen from 20 US hotels.
Hotels are attractive targets, according to The Times’ report, because they are dependent on their reservation systems and store lots of personal information.
Ilia Kolochenko, the chief executive of High-Tech Bridge, a cybersecurity company, told the newspaper: "There are financial details and things like who’s sharing a room with who. Criminal gangs such as Carbanak are now targeting hotels worldwide."
The Carbanak gang, based in Russia, is linked to an alleged theft of $1 billion from financial institutions.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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