The couple carried out a destructive Cyber-attack against a Uk-based IHB hotel for fun. According to BBC reports, a couple from Vietnam told the media that they first tried a ransomware attack. The hackers deleted most of the data.
Holiday Inn is a chain of Intercontinental Hotels Group Uk. IHG operates 6000 hotels including Crowne Plaza, Regent brands and HolidayInn. The couple says due to weak passwords, it is easy to access the firm’s database. Meanwhile, experts believe the case highlights the vindictive side of criminal hackers.
Customers reported widespread problems with Check-In and Booking
Last Monday, HolidayInn customers faced issues with booking and check-ins. It took 24 hours to figure it out. The company responded to customers’ complaints on social media, saying the company was ‘’undergoing system maintenance.’’ However, on Tuesday, the company said it had been hacked.
In an official notice lodged with the London Stock Exchange, the company said, “Booking channels and other applications have been significantly disrupted since yesterday.’’
The IT team kept isolating servers
The hackers, who call themselves TeaPea, contacted BBC on telegram and provided screenshots as evidence of the hack. According to the New site, the images, which IGH has confirmed are genuine, show they gained access to the company’s international outlook emails, Microsoft team chats and server directories.
One of the hackers told BBC news, “Our attack was originally planned to be ransomware but the company’s IT team kept isolating servers before we had a chance to deploy it, so we thought we had some funny [sic]. We did a wiper attack instead,”
They told the BBC, “The username and password to the vault were available to all employees, so 200,000 staff could see. And the password was extremely weak,”
Surprisingly, the password was Qwerty1234 and it is one of the most widely used passwords in the world.
