A digital break-in with far-reaching consequences for travelers: Criminal hackers have stolen the highly sensitive ID data of tens of thousands of guests in a cyber attack on hotels in Italy and Mallorca. The incident, which mainly affects high-end hotels, is causing great concern among holidaymakers and in the security industry.
Sensitive documents surfaced on the darknet
As has now become known, the perpetrators stole copies of ID cards and passports that guests had to leave at check-in. In one well-known four-star hotel in Venice alone, the hackers are said to have stolen 38,000 documents. Experts assume that numerous other hotels in popular travel destinations such as Capri and Trieste have been affected. The exact nationality of the affected guests has not yet been disclosed by the authorities.
The theft has already had concrete consequences. According to the Italian state agency for digital affairs (AgID), the stolen identities are already being offered for sale on the darknet in pixelated form. The prices for the data records are said to be between 800 and 10,000 euros, depending on the quality and scope. Security authorities warn that such data can be misused to circumvent online verifications or conduct criminal transactions under a false identity. The incident has triggered a new debate in Italy about the security of digital guest data in the tourism industry.
