A Maine hotel has become the latest to fall victim to a point of sale malware attack, with the theft of up to 2,600 guests’ credit card information.
The Brunswick Hotel and Tavern said the data breach took place undetected from November 2014 to July 2015 and guests whose credit card details may have been exposed have been contacted.
The hotel said the malware attack was the result of a classic ‘phishing’ scam.
Dan Flaherty, chief financial officer for Portland-based Olympia Hotel Management told the Bangor Daily News the malware was sent in an email claiming to be from a guest.
"It was mistakenly opened up, and the malware is then designed to avoid detection from antivirus software," said Flaherty.
The company estimates up to 2,600 guest accounts may have been exposed.
Names and credit card information were accessed but not separate personal identification numbers, the company said.
"We’re committed to protecting the information and we regret any inconvenience that it’s causing," Flaherty said, adding that anti-malware software has been upgraded.
