Hackers have stolen tens of thousands of scanned copies of tourists' passports and other IDs from multiple Italian hotels, and the stolen data is now being sold on the dark web.
The Italian government agency in charge of digital affairs said in a statement on the 13th that authorities "discovered the illegal sale of identification documents, which are allegedly stolen from hotels operating in Italy."
The statement pointed out that tens of thousands of high-resolution scans of passports, IDs, and other identification documents used by guests during the hotel check-in process were stolen.
A hacker using the alias "mydocs" stole nearly 100,000 files in total. The hacker told potential buyers on the dark web that the files were obtained through illegal access to computer systems between June and August this year.
Authorities noted that this hacking attack targeted 10 hotels in Italy, and did not rule out the possibility of more similar incidents arising in the future.
Authorities also warned victims of possible consequences, stating that the data could be used to forge identification, open bank accounts, or conduct other criminal activities.