Sidebar: Testing the Card Keys
Computerworld -
Computerworld and MagTek tested 100 card keys gathered in the fall from the hotel and resort operations listed below. Each card was scanned using a MagTek swipe-card reader that has a USB interface and complies with a standard set by the International Standards Organization and the American Bankers Association. Cards were also inspected using specialized equipment at MagTek to see if data embedded using nonstandard formatting techniques could be read.
Because many properties are independently owned, we tested cards from properties in the same hotel chain in different locations.
Readable alphanumeric data was scanned from 15% of the cards using the ISO-standard reader. Most results were unintelligible strings of numeric or alphanumeric characters. In cases where numeric strings could possibly have contained credit card numbers, the data was returned to the owner of the card for inspection. One reporter found a match to the last four digits of the credit card used to pay for the room on the key card. No other meaningful data was found.
Bellagio
Best Western
Caesar's Palace
Clarion Hotel
Comfort Inn
Coronado Springs Hotel (Disney)
Courtyard Marriott
Crowne Plaza
DoubleTree
Econo Lodge
Embassy Suites
Fairmont Hotel
FourPoints (Sheraton)
Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center
Hilton
Hilton Doubletree
Hilton New York
Hilton, La Fontana
Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza
Holiday Inn on King
Holiday Inn SunSpree Resorts
Homewood Suites Hilton
Hotel Omni
Hyatt Regency
Hyatt Regency Apa Aviana
Hyatt Rosemont
J.W. Marriott Grand Lakes Resort
Kimpton (Hotel Monaco)
La Quinta Inn Queens
Mandalay Bay
Marriott Hotels
MGM Grand
Mirage
Monte Carlo Resort & Casino
Motel 6
OpryLand Hotel and Convention Center
Park Lane Hotel
Pilgrim Inn
Red Roof Inn
Residential Suites at Ritz-Carlton Towers
Ritz-Carlton
Royal Hawaiian
Sheraton
St. Regis
The Inn at Penn (Hilton)
The Latham Hotel
The Venetian
Travel Lodge
Walt Disney World Port Orleans
Westin
Westin St. Francis
Wyndham Hotel
Xanterra Parks & Resorts
Related Items
- Sidebar: Spraying for Data
- Sidebar: The Search for the Perfect Electronic Key
- Blog: What's not on your hotel card key
- Blog: Swipe here to steal ID
Read more about security in Computerworld's Security Knowledge Center.
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