Hotel Ózon hit by ransomware attack in Mátraház

Hotel Ózon, located in Mátraház, Hungary, suffered a major ransomware attack in early August that paralyzed its IT systems. The attackers encrypted the hotel's data and demanded a ransom of 25,000 euros, which the management refused to pay.

The breach compromised sensitive personal information from booking records dated between November 1, 2022, and July 31, 2026. Affected data includes names, contact details, addresses, and ID numbers for approximately 40,000 potentially impacted guests. While personal data was leaked, credit card information remained secure as the hotel utilizes the SimplePay system for transactions.

The attack was particularly effective because the hackers first encrypted the backup servers, rendering recent copies inaccessible. The hotel had recently invested approximately 15 million HUF in upgrading its server infrastructure just months prior to the incident. Consequently, staff had to reconstruct about a month of data using a backup from June 30, and the recovery process lasted several weeks.

During the peak of the incident, critical systems including the front office, accounting, email, room key issuance, and building management systems were offline. The hotel remained operational, handling restaurant and bar payments via cash or direct card processing. The incident has been reported to the National Authority for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (NAIH).