Earlier this month, staff at the four-star Romantik Seehotel Jägerwirt in Austria tried to log into the resort's computer system to no avail. Hackers had infected the system with ransomware!
This malware encrypts a device, rendering it essentially useless, in exchange for a ransom. Once the ransom is paid, the hackers then deliver an electronic “decryption key,” which can be used to restore the device.
Only if the hotel paid a ransom in Bitcoin worth a total of about $1,800 would it be able to access the reservation system, cash system, or the issuance of electronic key cards.
The hack only prevented the hotel from issuing new keys. It did not prevent hotel guests who already had key cards from accessing their rooms, nor did it result in some guests being locked out of their rooms. The international fire code stipulates that electronic locks must be opened from the inside, so it is not possible for guests to become trapped inside.
The attack came at the worst possible time for skiing. The hotel was fully booked with hundreds of vacationers, some of whom were paying more than $500 a night.
Hotel owner Cristoph Brandstaetter gave in and paid the hackers. He even said that after they paid the ransom, someone tried to compromise the system once more, but they were able to disable their computers.
This is not the first time the hotel has been targeted. Over the past year, the Romantik Seehotel has been the victim of at least three different cyberattacks.
The FBI said that spending on victims of ransomware attacks rose to $209 million in the first three months of 2016, a significant increase from $24 million in 2015.
While the hotel has already spent a lot of money to beef up its security, the Romantik Seehotel Jägerwirt will now go for a more retro solution: “In the next renovation of our rooms, we plan to restore the old room locks with real keys,” the hotel manager told a local Austrian news website.
