Trump Hotels breach leaks customer credit card data, again
Tue 5 Apr 2016
The Trump Hotel Collection is reportedly tackling a new data breach on its credit card systems – the second attack on the controversial Republican candidate’s luxury hotel chain in less than a year.
On Monday, security expert Brian Krebs reported that according to sources from within the chain, the hotels are again dealing with a data breach which has compromised customer credit card data.
A spokesman for the organisation said that Trump Hotels was investigating the claims. In a written statement, quoted by Krebs, the company said: ‘We are in the midst of a thorough investigation on this matter […] We are committed to safeguarding all guests’ personal information and will continue to do so vigilantly.’
Last July, the business’ IT systems were targeted in a cyberattack which stole customer’s payment details. Krebs, also first on the case in this breach, noted that banks had highlighted a trend of fraudulent purchases from accounts owned by customers who had recently stayed at one of the Trump Hotel Collection resorts, including locations in Chicago, Las Vegas, Honolulu, Miami, New York and Los Angeles.
Discussing the state of cybersecurity in the U.S. earlier this year, Donald Trump said in an interview with the New York Times: “We move forward with cyber, but other countries are moving forward at a much more rapid pace. We are frankly not being led very well in terms of the protection of this country…”
A stance he could do well to apply to his own empire, investing in security and training to prevent the leaking of further customer data in the future.
The hospitality industry is a key target for cyberattackers on the hunt for valuable consumer data. In January, the Hyatt Hotels chain reported that 250 of its hotels across 54 countries were hit by an attack which targeted customer payment information. Last year, the Mandarin Oriental also confirmed that credit card information had been stolen in a cyberattack on 45 of its hotels’ point-of-system (PoS) systems.
