Presidential candidate Donald Trump's luxury hotel chain Trump Hotel Collection is yet again the victim of a hack, which has possibly compromised its credit card systems.
The breach on Trump Hotel Collection was first reported by Brian Krebs, a cybersecurity writer, who revealed that three sources in the financial and banking sectors let on that the attackers had breached the credit card systems at some - if not all - of the group's properties.
"Banking industry sources tell KrebsOnSecurity that the Trump Hotel Collection - a string of luxury properties tied to business magnate and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump - appears to be dealing with another breach of its credit card systems. If confirmed, this would be the second such breach at the Trump properties in less than a year," noted Krebs on his blog.
Banks are often quick to espy potential fraudulent activities and are able to swiftly ascertain a common point-of-purchase where the cards have been used.
According to Krebs, the credit cards have been used at multiple Trump Hotel Collection properties in the past two to three months. The properties include Trump International Hotel in New York, Trump International Hotel and Tower in Toronto and the Trump Hotel Waikiki in Honolulu.
This is not the first time that the luxury hotel group has been a victim of hacking. In October 2015, the group revealed that malware was responsible for infecting its front desk and payment card terminals from May 2014 to June 2015.
Security breaches to card payment systems, which render them vulnerable, are not new to the hotel industry. In September 2015, Hilton-branded hotel properties reported a breach and in December, Hyatt Hotels also fell victim to a malware attack designed to steal data on payment cards.
In a bid to thwart cybercriminals, several merchants have been migrating to EMV technology and putting in stronger defense systems in place.
The Trump Hotel Collection has said that it is committed to protecting the interests of its guests.
"Like virtually every other company these days, we are routinely targeted by cyber terrorists whose only focus is to inflict harm on great American businesses," stated the hotel chain's Eric Trump. "We are committed to safeguarding all guests' personal information and will continue to do so vigilantly."
On April 4, the Trump Hotel Collection disclosed that it was working in tandem with the FBI and the Secret Service to investigate the possibility of a payment card breach.
