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Austrian hotel ditching key cards after hackers strike

Austrian hotel ditching key cards after hackers strike | iNFOnews.ca
This photo, dated Dec. 2016, shows the Romantik Seehotel Jaegerwirt, a hotel in the Austrian Alps at Turracher Hoehe. The hotel’s management says it is ditching its electronic room cards for the old-fashioned locks and keys after being repeatedly targeted by hackers. One recent intrusion resulted in new guests being briefly unable to access their rooms. (Seehotel Jaegerwirt via AP)

PARIS – An Austrian luxury hotel says it’s ditching electronic room cards for old-fashioned locks and keys after having their systems frozen by blackmail-hungry hackers.

The husband-and-wife management of Romantik Seehotel Jaegerwirt, in the Austrian Alps, says that one recent infection with ransom software resulted in the complete shutdown of hotel computers.

They say they were forced to pay roughly 1,500 euros (nearly $1,600) worth of electronic currency to restore their network.

Several publications incorrectly reported that the ransomware infection resulted in guests being locked into or out of their rooms.

In a series of emails, the hotel said Tuesday that the infection only resulted in new guests being temporarily unable to get keys to their rooms.

Hotel co-manager Christina Brandstaetter says the new arrivals were treated to champagne while they waited.

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