Last week, a very famous Scandinavian hotel chain witnessed a ransomware attack, which, as per the sources, may have led to the theft of personal credentials related to bookings. The staff of the hotel said that the attack rendered its key system unusable which led to the hotel guests being locked out of their rooms.
The hotel claimed to have been hit last Thursday with a ransomware attack which impacted “the hotel systems that handle reservations, check-in, check-out and creation of new room keys.”
One guest from the hotel took to social media to describe the situation, he wrote that the hotel staff was forced to personally escort guests upstairs to their rooms because key cards were not working.
On Monday, an official statement was released stating that the ransomware behind the attack is one of the Conti variants. Before the aforementioned security incident, Conti has been responsible for large-scale attacks on Ireland's Health Service Executive (HSE) and an outrageous $40m ransom demand aimed at Broward County Public Schools in the USA. However, officers did not say anything related to the problem with room keys.
Following the incident, Nordic Choice is working on replacement solutions so the continuity of its hotel operations remains. The hotel operators have also informed the Norwegian cyber threat unit while warning the guests staying at the hotel, expected at the hotel, and those who have been at the hotel in the past – regarding the potential data theft.
The hotel chain said it is not going to engage with the attackers and the attackers also did not make any contact with the organization.
“Our investigations do not currently give any indication that data has been leaked, but we can’t guarantee that is the case. Therefore, the incident entails a risk that information about the guests' bookings may be lost...,” the official statement read.
“...This information consists of name, email address, telephone number, date of the visit, and any information the guest may have provided in connection with their visit. We do not know for sure yet, but since we see that there may be a risk that such information is leaked, we choose to inform about it now, so that our guests can be extra alert to any suspicious text messages, phone calls, or emails.”
Nordic Choice Hotels operate a large chain of hotels, running around 200 hotels in various regions such as Scandinavia, Finland, and the Baltics. Brands such as Clarion, Quality, and Comfort come under its chain.