Inter Continental Hotels Group (IHG), the parent company of Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Kimpton Hotels and Resorts, has confirmed the hacking of their payment cards processing systems at 12 hotels located in North America and the Caribbean.

According to the IHG, which includes an international network of 5 thousand Hotels,malware was discovered on their payment processing  servers. Infection occurred in the period between August and December. The notification lists the affected hotels; the number of compromised card are not confirmed yet.

The investigation was launched on 28 December, when the guests started to complain about unauthorized deductions from payment cards. “As it turned out, malicious software was installed on servers that handle payment cards, which were paid in restaurants and bars at 12 IHG hotel chain – said in a notification. ”

At IHG said that the unnamed malware was aimed at data collection, sewn into the track magnetic strip and passing through the servers. Thus, compromised cardholder’s name, card number, expiration date, and internal verification code. “We are working with information security companies in order to review existing security measures to eliminate shortcomings and identify ways to improve the protective measures”, – writes IHG.

Hotels, restaurants and other establishments of the hotel industry often become targets of hackers. more than a dozen similar break-ins were reported last year.  HEI Hotels and Resorts,PoS-terminals were compromised the theft of data of tens of thousands of payment transactions took place.

However, most large-scale break-ins occurred retail payment systems in 2014, including Target and Neiman Marcus networks. In November last year, as it became known that in the hotel businesses attacked by carbanak criminal group, previously known as Graben-bank.