Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG), which owns Holiday Inn, has confirmed that the company has been the victim of a cyber-attack.
IHG, which owns some of the world’s largest hotel chains, said in a statement that it was looking into “unauthorized access” to a number of its technology systems.
Since Monday, the company’s “booking channels and other applications” have been disrupted, according to the UK-based company.
It oversees the operations of the Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, and Regent hotels.
“IHG is working as quickly as possible to fully restore all systems,” the company said.
IHG confirmed that it was assessing the nature, scope, and impact of the incident and that it had implemented its response plans, which included appointing external experts to investigate the breach.
In addition, the company is in the process of notifying regulatory authorities.
“We will be supporting hotel owners and operators as part of our response to the ongoing service disruption,” the company said in a statement. “IHG’s hotels are still able to operate and take direct reservations.”
However, many people attempting to book lodging have expressed dissatisfaction.
IHG made no mention of any loss of customer data.
It also did not explicitly state that the attack was a ransomware attack, but most speculation points in that direction.
LockBit breached a Holiday Inn in Istanbul last month, releasing data stolen from the company.
It is unknown whether there is a link between the attacks.
In 2017, the hotel chain was also the victim of a three-month security breach that affected over 1,200 of its franchised hotels in the United States.
The hack occurs in the midst of increased scrutiny on appropriate cyber-attack defenses, particularly on Western financial institutions, in the aftermath of heightened geopolitical tensions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier this year.
To keep up with the latest commercial news, click on commercial to get your daily dose.
Donate & Support