Dive Brief:
- The Trump Hotel Collection has become the victim of a second credit card system breach in less than a year, according to a new report from KrebsOnSecurity.
- KrebsOnSecurity sources said they noticed a pattern of fraud on cards that were all used at the luxury properties tied to Donald Trump in the past two to three months.
- Banks also suspected a breach at Trump properties last summer, after "suspicious activity" was found in accounts used at its hotels. Card-stealing malware had infected the company's payment systems.
Dive Insight:
A representative from Trump Hotels said the organization was investigating the claims, but according to KrebsOnSecurity, a pattern of fraud on customer credit cards could suggests that hackers have again breached the credit card systems at Trump Hotel Collection properties.
The hospitality industry has been hit hard by card breaches over the past two years. In November, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide reported that payment systems at 54 of its hotels in North America had been infected with malware. Around the same time, Hilton Worldwide Holdings also revealed that it was investigating possible cyberattacks.
But the second breach in less than a year could indicate that Trump's hotel properties have ongoing cybersecurity vulnerabilities. In a recent interview with the New York Times, Trump called the U.S. "obsolete" when it comes to cybersecurity.
"We are frankly not being led very well in terms of the protection of this country," Trump said.
President Obama’s proposed 2017 budget is calling for $19 billion to support a "broad-based cybersecurity strategy" to help secure the government, critical infrastructure and "important technologies." The Department of Homeland Security is also working to expand its cybersecurity relationship with the private sector, as a way of boosting the sharing of threat intelligence.
