Technology evolves at a rapid rate and if there’s one thing that definitely revolutionized the world as we see it, it’s credit cards. And it surely is revolutionary: with these little companions we can easily pay for any service without having to carry any cash around. The credit card is one of the most secure payment methods as well, and hotels are just some of the companies in the world that accept credit cards and are quick at adopting new credit card based solutions.
But due to their ability to hold an unlimited amount of money credit cards are sadly one of the main targets for pickpockets and burglars. And Hyatt, a chain of hotels located in different countries all around the world, is the perfect example of how dangerous the open encouragement of paying with credit card can be if not handled correctly, as it suffered the second credit card data breach in two years.
The latest breaches, which occurred between March 18 and July 2 2017, involved 41 properties of the Hyatt brand in 11 different countries. The cybersecurity team of the Chicago-based company discovered the first signs of unauthorized access to credit cards used in their hotels in July, after which the corporation rushed to alert their customers, followed by a thorough investigation conducted by “leading third-party experts, payment card networks and authorities”.
Still, the resemblances to a case in 2015 are beyond obvious – though at that time the scale of the attack was way bigger as hackers managed to infiltrate 250 Hyatt hotels in 50 countries. Regardless, this year’s case came as a nasty surprise, mostly because of how easily such information as card numbers, verification codes, cardholder names or expiration dates were collected. All the hackers needed was simply swiping the victims’ cards or inserting them in the readers available in the hotels’ reception desks.
A list of affected hotels released by Hyatt shows that China was hit the hardest with 18 compromised hotels, but credit cards used in seven United States properties spread across Hawaii, Puerto Rico and Guam also fell victim to the attack. Other hotels and resorts involved in the breach are located in countries such as Mexico, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Colombia, Japan, and the list goes on.
To be fair, it’s impossible for every user to know what system has been compromised to steal their credit card data, or any other confidential information for that matter, since there are numerous malicious programs and other sneaky ways wrongdoers can use.
However, there are clever mechanisms that credit card holders can use to be more protected. Text message notifications, for instance, let you know if you’re about to miss a payment, and they provide help in controlling your bank account activity as well. This way you can closely keep track of any new charges and you will always know where they come from. If this or any other additional security services are provided by your credit card issuer, make sure to enable it.
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