CHICAGO, IL - NOVEMBER 30: A sign marks the location of a J.W. Marriott hotel on November 30, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. Marriott says their Starwood guest reservation database was hacked, compromising the security of private information for up to 500 million hotel customers. Scott Olson/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==
Long before Marriott International Inc disclosed a massive security breach, the hotel industry had earned the dubious reputation as a hospitable place for hackers.
Thieves have skimmed credit cards, looted loyalty accounts, and mounted complex schemes to trick clerks into downloading malicious software. In one elaborate series of attacks known as DarkHotel, networks at individual properties were hijacked to spy on corporate executives and politicians. In a cruder ploy, crooks have even seized control of a keyless entry system, locking down rooms until the hotel owner paid a ransom.
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