The malware may have left vital bank card information exposed, including things like the credit card number, expiration, verification code, and name.
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The Equinox Resort in Manchester is among a group of hotels and resorts around the country that may have been hit by credit card hackers. The breach dates back to early December 2015 and continued through late June 2016. A full list of all affected properties has been made available by HEI Hotels and Resorts on its website.
In a statement, HEI offered the usual assurances about taking its responsibility “very seriously”, adding that it has “mounted a thorough response to investigate and resolve this incident, bolster our data security, and support our customers”.
As a result, anyone who used a credit card at any of these hotels should review their account statements and look for discrepancies or unusual activity, both over the past several months and going forward.
At present, the law enforcement agencies, as well as an outside expert, are involved in the investigation. “We are sorry for any concern or frustration that this incident may cause”.
Marriott is now in the process of acquiring Starwood, though that could have hit a roadblock due to an antitrust law decision in China, reports Seeking Alpha.
According to a spokesman for HEI, Chris Daly, the hotels’ payment processing systems exploited in restaurants, shops and other facilities, has been breached, what was revealed two month ago.
However, the company insists that the firm does not store credit card numbers; rather, it is believed the malware captured this data as it was recorded in real-time at PoS terminals.
HEI said the infection appeared to have gained access to card processing units following a hack of another part of the company’s computer network, and said it has now installed a payment processing system separate from the rest of the network.
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HEI in Norwalk, Connecticut, did not specify how many people were likely to have been affected. Chip-based transactions transmit a dynamic card number that makes it much more hard to steal card numbers and use them for fraudulent purposes.
