US luxury resort hit by unusual cyberattack; employee data, guest names posted on public Internet

Typically, cybercriminals publish any stolen data on the 'dark web', a portion of the Internet that requires special browsers to access and doesn’t typically show up in online searches. — Identity theft vector created by katemangostar - www.freepik.com

One of Oregon’s most prominent luxury destinations has been victimised by an unusual cyberattack, with hackers posting employee information and a ledger of guests online in an apparent attempt to squeeze the hotel and compel it to pay a ransom.

“It’s not a new strategy. It’s just the way they are implementing it that is new ... by putting it on the public Internet in an easily searchable form,” said Brett Callow, a threat analyst for New Zealand cybersecurity firm Emsisoft. “As far as I’m aware this hasn’t been done before.”