Hackers Hijack Hotel Locks to Demand Bitcoin

The key lock system of Romantik Seehotel Jaegerwirt hotel in Austria was completely hijacked by hackers and demanded a bitcoin payment as ransom. 

The ransomware attack by the hackers on the 4-star Romantik Seehotel Jaegerwirt hotel I Austria forced the hotel managers to pay a sum of $1,603 in bitcoin to the hackers before they could regain control of the hotel’s lock system according to reports.

The said cyber-attack took place in last year November and is the first of its kind in terms of cyber criminals exploiting a hotel in this manner.

In a report by Central European News, the managing director of the hotel, Christoph Brandstaetter sad, “the house was totally booked with 180 guests, we had no other choice. Neither police no insurance help you in this case,”

“the restoration of our system after the attack (first) in the summer has cost us several thousand euros. We did not get any money from the insurance so far because none of those to blame was found.”

This attack on the Romantik Seehotel Jaegerwirt hotel was leaked out to the public just recently in an attempt to raise awareness of these ransomware attacks.

Ransomware can be described to be the digital form of kidnaping for a ransom payment. Computer hackers use a malicious software in the form of ransomware to hijack computer system of institutions and companies in demand for ransoms to release them. 

The U.S and Canadian government has released a joint-alert statement last year to raise the awareness and educate the public and businesses about this eminent threat. This was in response to the up-rising in ransomware attacks.