Wave of AI cyberattacks hits hotels

A new wave of cyberattacks targeting hotels to steal guests’ payment information was detected between June and August 2025. The attackers, a threat group called RevengeHotels, was identified by the Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT) at the cybersecurity company Kaspersky.

RevengeHotels has been operating since 2015 and has since upgraded its methods. The threat actor is now using AI to make attacks more effective and reach additional regions. Analysis shows that many of the new malicious programs used in these attacks contain code likely generated with AI, making them more sophisticated and harder to detect.

While most attacks have so far targeted hotels in Brazil, similar incidents have been reported in other parts of the world. Given the popularity of destinations such as South Africa and Kenya for tourism, and Nigeria for business travel, Kaspersky warns that hotels globally remain at risk. 

How RevengeHotels attacks work

The threat actor sends phishing emails directly to hotel staff, often disguised as requests for reservation or job applications. Once a hotel employee interacts with these emails, malware called VenomRAT is installed on the hotel’s systems, giving attackers access to guests’ payment data and other sensitive information. The emails often look convincing, coming from legitimate-looking websites. 

“Сybercriminals are increasingly using AI to create new tools and make their attacks more effective,” says Lisandro Ubiedo, an expert at Kaspersky’s GReAT. “This means that even familiar schemes, like phishing emails, are becoming harder to spot for a common user. For hotel guests, this translates into higher risks of card and personal data theft, even when you trust well-known hotels.”

To stay safe from cyberattacks, Kaspersky recommends:

• Even if an email seems friendly, treat links and attachments with care. To protect your company, use solutions from the Kaspersky Next product line that provide real-time protection, threat visibility, investigation and response capabilities of EDR and XDR for organisations of any size and in any industry.
• Cybercriminals often distribute fake email messages mimicking email notifications from an online store or a bank, luring a user to click on a malicious link and distribute malware. If attackers are specifically targeting your organisation, the email text may be more customised, mimicking services or scenarios familiar to your company. With that in mind, fine-tune your antispam settings and never open attachments sent by an unknown sender.
• Try not to open unexpected files sent by you massively. They may be ransomware or even spyware, even attachments from official-looking emails.