Don't put that duffel bag full of cash in the hotel room safe

Don't put that duffel bag full of cash in the hotel room safe

Hotel safes are far less secure than guests are led to believe. Widespread use of default codes and other issues mean that it is relatively easy for criminals to get at hotel guests' valuables, security firm G DATA warns.

Researchers of G DATA reached their conclusions after buying a very common model from Amazon and investigating how it worked.

With a little technical effort, the safe can be hacked and cleared out of valuables in minutes, they said.

In addition, hotel room safes' magnetic card readers offer criminals the option of using skimming to access the data on the card before selling on this information to other crooks through underground forums.

The safe model investigated by the G DATA could be opened using various methods. Most straightforwardly, the safe can easily be opened using the master code provided by the manufacturer.

This feature is only supposed to be used to open it in emergencies. However, many hotel owners do not bother to change the default code – making life easy for thieves. "We urgently advise hotel owners to change the master code in safes and to regularly check room safes for modifications," said Ralf Benzmüller, head of G DATA SecurityLabs.

G DATA is not naming the model of the device used in its tests but a spokeswoman for the firm said the kit is widely used and resold by at least five suppliers.

Read more details and view pictures here: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/07/17/hotel_safe_unsafe/