At the beginning of the week, guests at the Waldstätterhof Hotel in Brunnen SZ fell victim to a sophisticated phishing attack. Cybercriminals sent emails that appeared to come from the hotel’s official address, complete with a personal greeting and a professional photo of the hotel to build trust. The fraudulent emails, seemingly from the hotel receptionist, claimed to be a “verification of the payment method,” misleading recipients into believing that their credit card details were required before arrival. The scam was particularly insidious as it masked itself as a routine security check, with the email stating that payment would be made upon check-in, making the request seem legitimate.
The hotel acted swiftly upon discovering the phishing attempt. Management immediately sent out notifications to all affected guests, clarifying that the emails were not sent by them. They advised recipients to ignore the emails and avoid clicking on any links or providing personal information. The hotel assured guests that their reservations remained secure and issued an apology for the inconvenience caused. However, an initial oversight revealed all recipients’ email addresses to each other, disclosing that hundreds of individuals had been targeted.
Further investigation revealed that the attack stemmed from a compromised external software program previously used by the hotel for guest personalization. The outdated program, which had been retired, was exploited by the attackers to access and use guest email addresses for the phishing campaign. The hotel emphasized that no sensitive data, such as credit card information or personal preferences, was stored in the compromised program, and thus, no further data was at risk. The director of the hotel confirmed that the attacker only had access to email addresses and future booking information.
The hotel’s response to the incident included advising guests who had provided credit card details through the phishing link to contact their banks immediately and have their cards blocked. The hotel is working closely with its IT department and partners to prevent such attacks in the future and has taken measures to enhance security. This incident underscores the need for vigilance against phishing attempts and the importance of using updated, secure systems to protect sensitive information.
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