Radisson Hotels Suffer Data Breach

Radisson Hotels Suffer Data Breach. It's not this article that amazes me but the number of people that I speak with daily who do not see the need for Identity Theft Protection with full restoration services and/or Prepaid Legal Services since an identity theft is going to be a legal issue.

Radisson Hotels Suffer Data Breach

Unknown Number of Records Exposed During 6-Month Period

August 21, 2009 - Linda McGlasson, Managing Editor

An unknown number of Radisson Hotel guests in the U.S. and Canada may face credit card fraud in the wake of a data breach announced by the hotel chain this week.

In an open letter to customers, Fredrik Korallus, CEO of the hotel chain detailed the breach, which involved computer systems invaded by hackers for a six-month period, from Nov. 2008 to May 2009.

According to the hotel chain's spokesperson, David Chamberlin, the forensic investigation of the breach is still underway, with federal law enforcement involved, and the company isn't unable to provide accurate estimates of the number of potentially exposed records.

...The facts of the breach released by Radisson:

• Between November 2008 and May 2009, the computer systems of some Radisson Hotels & Resorts in the U.S. and Canada were accessed without authorization. This past spring, the company was able to confirm an intrusion. The investigation is ongoing.

• The accessed computer systems contained guest information such as the name printed on a credit or debit card, the account number and the expiration date on the card. "We do not know, however, whether a particular name, credit or debit card number or card expiration date were in fact accessed or taken," he says.

• The accessed computer systems did not include Social Security numbers.

• The hotel says at this time, "it appears to be an unauthorized attack from an outside source, and have no reason to believe it was an insider."

• The hotel says it has worked closely with the major credit card brands, issuers, the credit reporting agencies, and its payment processor, Elavon, to address the incident.

• It also placed ads announcing the breach in the Wall Street Journal and USA Today on Wednesday and has set up a dedicated web site to address customer questions.

• Notification letters were sent to affected consumers, where they were able to be identified, Chamberlain says.... (Full story at www.bankinfosecurity.com)

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