InterContinental Hotels Group confirms cyber attack, experts suggest ransomware
Customers had been reporting issues with reservations for days and security experts have sparked discussions of a more serious incident
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has confirmed that it has sustained a cyber attack which experts are suggesting could be ransomware in nature.
IHG owns hotel brands such as Holiday Inn, Holiday Express, Regent, Crowne Plaza, Kimpton, and Six Senses. It confirmed the attack with a filing to the London Stock Exchange (LSE) on Tuesday.
Part of the disclosure to the LSE mentioned how “IHG is working to fully restore all systems as soon as possible” - wording often used when a cyber security incident involves ransomware.
Cyber security experts have suggested the incident could be ransomware too, adding to the growing speculation which has not yet been confirmed by IHG.
Other researchers pointed out that the LockBit ransomware operation also claimed an attack on an Istanbul-based branch of IHG-owned Holiday Inn last month.
IHG said in the filing that its booking channels and “other applications” have been “significantly” disrupted since Monday.
IHG customers have been complaining on social media about reservation issues and users appearing to be IHG employees claim their shifts “have been hell all day”.
“IHG has implemented its response plans, is notifying relevant regulatory authorities and is working closely with its technology suppliers. External specialists have also been engaged to investigate the incident,” the company said in its filing.
RELATED RESOURCE
Escape the ransomware maze
Conventional endpoint protection tools just aren’t the best defence anymore
“IHG is working to fully restore all systems as soon as possible and to assess the nature, extent and impact of the incident. We will be supporting hotel owners and operators as part of our response to the ongoing service disruption. IHG's hotels are still able to operate and take reservations directly.
“A further update will be provided as and when appropriate.”
In 2016, IHG fell victim to several cyber attacks that caused widespread disruption. During two instances in the space of just a few months, IHG customers’ payment details were put at risk.
One instance involved 20 of the company’s hotels being hit with malware targeting its point-of-sale systems, potentially exposing payment details to hackers.
A month later, it was also targeted by a three-month attack on its systems during which time malware was used to access customers’ stored payment details.
-
Working with the enemy: Ransomware negotiator-turned cyber criminal jailed after working with hackers to extort clientsNews Angelo Martino was supposed to be negotiating on behalf of victims, but was secretly working for ransomware operators
-
Hackers are posing as Interpol to target small businesses – here's what you need to knowNews Small businesses are warned to think twice before clicking on links
-
‘Every hour ransomware goes undetected drastically increases its potential blast radius’: Hackers are breaching networks and laying low for longer – and nearly half of firms don’t realize until data is stolenNews An ExtraHop survey found more intrusions are going undetected, leading to longer dwell times
-
Ransomware cartels are fragmenting into volatile splinter groups, warns Met Police cyber chiefNews Commoditized "cyber crime bazaars" and AI data mining are forcing law enforcement to rewrite its playbook
-
New ransomware threat group, The Gentlemen, has become one of the most active ransomware operators, accounting for 10% of all attacksNews NTT researchers warn that the RaaS group is leveraging SystemBC malware to establish covert tunnelling, evade detection, and support rapid lateral movement across enterprise environments
-
Instructure chose to a pay ransom following the Canvas cyber attack – research shows more than half of security leaders would follow suitAnalysis Opting to pay ransoms creates huge risks for enterprises – you’re relying on the word of criminals
-
Ransomware negotiator sentenced for role in major cyber crime groupNews Deniss Zolotarjovs was a key player in a group associated with Conti
-
Threat actors ditch ‘spray and pray’ attacks in shift to targeted exploitationNews A dip in ransomware volumes points to a more targeted approach focused on vulnerability exploitation
