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Best Western responds to those hack claims

by on 25 August, 2008 in Current Affairs, New Media, Press & publishing, Web/Tech

I mentioned Iain S Bruce’s big Sunday Herald exclusive yesterday, which claimed that 8m people had their personal details compromised by an alleged security lapse at the Best Western hotel chain.

Well, the chain has finally responded, and has done so very firmly indeed. Best Western doesn’t admit to any data loss, saying only that the Herald “brought to our attention the possible compromise of a select portion of data at a single hotel”.

Best Western says it has “found no evidence to support the sensational claims ultimately made by the reporter and newspaper.” They also describe the steps they take to keep data secure, and say “we have no evidence to suggest that there is need for widespread concern”.

Given the strength of Best Western’s denials, the ball appears to be back in the Herald’s court. More evidence would be interesting to see now, especially as the chatter continues around the web; Slashdot has a thread while the Information Week blog asks some questions about Best Western’s statement. There’s clearly a million miles between the Herald’s story and the chain’s retort.

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[Updated] Best Western hacked – 8m people should [maybe] be nervous

by on 24 August, 2008 in Current Affairs, Digital revolution, Press & publishing, Web/Tech

[Update: Since I wrote this, Best Western has responded to the story, firmly denying the reported scale of their data loss. I've posted more on this here]

Here’s a big story from Iain S Bruce at the Sunday Herald in Glasgow; a story with global impact and ramifications. The name, address, booking and credit card details of eight million people have been compromised after a Best Western hotel computer system was cracked, the newspaper claims.

If you’ve stayed in one of those hotels – there are more than 1300 – in the last year, or have a booking in one for sometime soon, you may want to check your credit card and bank statements with even more care for the next few… umm… years.

And, as Craig McGill points out…

“Not only is it a cracking tale, but it shows that in this day and age you can pull in a good scoop from contacts across the globe – as long as you have the paper willing to back you on it. Contacts are no longer just people you meet down the road.”

Indeed. Little wonder the story appears to be the Herald’s splash this morning. Oddly, there is no reaction on Best Western’s website at the time of writing. [Update: as I say, now there is a response]

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