By placing a "keylogger" on a corporate computer that was connected to Best Western's reservations system, a criminal gang has pulled off the theft of 8 million customer records! Included in the records are names, address, phone number, credit card numbers and employment information.
AN INTERNATIONAL criminal gang has pulled off one of the most audacious cyber-crimes ever and stolen the identities of an estimated eight million people in a hacking raid that could ultimately net more than £2.8billion in illegal funds.
A Sunday Herald investigation has discovered that late on Thursday night, a previously unknown Indian hacker successfully breached the IT defenses of the Best Western Hotel group's online booking system and sold details of how to access it through an underground network operated by the Russian mafia.
It is a move that has been dubbed the greatest cyber-heist in world history. The attack scooped up the personal details of every single customer that has booked into one of Best Western's 1312 continental hotels since 2007.
...After thanking the Sunday Herald for exposing the raid on its systems, Best Western Hotels closed the breach at around 2pm on Friday afternoon. Stressing that staff are fully aware of the potential seriousness of the attack, the company reassured customers that it is now taking appropriate action.
"Best Western took immediate action to disable the compromised log-in account in question. We are currently in the process of working with our credit card partners to ensure that all relevant procedural standards are met, and that the interests of our guests are protected," said a spokesman.
"We continue to investigate the root cause of the issue, including,
but not limited to, the third-party website that has allegedly
facilitated this illegal exchange of information." MORE
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