In an attempt to get credit card numbers from travellers, thieves have mounted AI-supported attacks on hotels in around a dozen countries, according to Internet security researchers. — Photo: Tobias Hase/dpa
LONDON: Internet security company Kaspersky is warning holidaymakers that their credit card information "might be at risk" following a series of cyberattacks on hotels.
A group called RevengeHotels is now using artificial intelligence to make attacks "more effective and reach additional regions," Kaspersky warned in September, following what it said was "a new wave" of attacks on hotels aimed at accessing guests' payment information.
"Analysis shows that many of the new malicious programs used in these attacks contain code likely generated with AI, making them more sophisticated and harder to detect," Kaspersky explained.
"Even familiar schemes, like phishing emails, are becoming harder to spot for a common user," said Lisandro Ubiedo of Kaspersky.
And while hotels in Brazil and Spain - one of the world’s most popular holiday destinations – have been the main targets, there have been attacks in around a dozen countries, including Costa Rica, Mexico, Russia, Turkey, Malaysia, Italy and Egypt.
"For hotel guests, this translates into higher risks of card and personal data theft, even when you trust well-known hotels," Ubiedo added.
According to Kaspersky, the attacks are carried out via phishing emails sent to hotel staff, who in turn load malware into the hotel’s systems where the thieves can access guests’ payment data and other sensitive information.
"The emails often look convincing, coming from legitimate-looking websites or Portuguese-themed domain names," Kaspersky said, warning that even seemingly "friendly" emails these days need to be treated "with care, particularly those with links and attachments. – dpa
