Hyatt Confirms Hack, Customers Urged to Check Credit Card Statements

Hyatt joins a long list of hotel companies hacked by credit card scammers over the last year.

Hyatt is currently cautioning past guests to check their credit card statements for errors after discovering a virus in its payment processing system on Wednesday. The company announced yesterday in a release that “it recently identified malware on computers that operate the payment processing systems for Hyatt-managed locations. As soon as Hyatt discovered the activity, the company launched an investigation and engaged leading third-party cyber security experts. The investigation is ongoing and updates will be posted on its website.

Hyatt is the latest in a string of hacking and virus attempts on hotels worldwide, including Hilton Worldwide, Mandarin Oriental, and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Everyday Money reported. Part of the problem is that most, if not all, major hotel chains use easily hackable systems called InnGate routers. Gizmodo reported in March that security researcher Justin Clarke was able to breach hotel systems completely by accident:

Using a simple command, Clarke was able not only to see the file directory for InnGate routers plugged into hotel networks but also write to the hotel file system. That means he could easily upload malware to guests’ computers, intercept payment information, and possibly access the hotel’s reservations system.

For Hyatt customers looking for updates on the security breach, they can go to www.hyatt.com/protectingourcustomers or call 1-877-218-3036 (U.S. and Canada) or +1-814-201-3665 (International) from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. EST.

[Photo: Getty]