Federal Group hotel contact databases hit by ‘low risk’ data breach

Federal Group – who operate the luxury Saffire Freycinet – said unauthorised access to a third-party email distribution service on Friday saw some past guests and competition entrants receive a “spam-type” email.

The company said precautions they had in place and a quick response meant there was never potential for financial information to be accessed, but they had contacted anyone they believe may have had contact information accessed. 

Guests have been urged to delete any email correspondence received from either Saffire or Henry Jones Art Hotel on Friday.

​In emails sent to some previous guests on Friday night, the Federal Group privacy officer warned some may have received the “unusual” email between 10am and 12:30pm that day claiming to be Saffire.

“We regret to inform you that some of your personal data, may have been accessed by an unauthorised third party and we are currently investigating,” the email read.

“The system is now secure, however there is a possibility that some of your personal information may have been accessed.”

The email said the affected contact databases contained data from past guests of Saffire.

Investigations indicated that the affected data sets included names, email and physical addresses, and telephone numbers, it continued.

A Federal Group spokesperson said those affected by the breach were limited to some past guests, web subscribers, and competition entrants who had elected to receive marketing and promotional material from Saffire, the Henry Jones Art Hotel, and both the Landscape and Peacock and Jones restaurants.

The spokesperson added: “We also believe a very old list from a Federal Group tourism competition may also have been compromised”.

“The breach is considered low risk and Federal Group has followed all requirements under the Privacy Act and the national privacy guidelines.

“We have notified anyone we believe may have had some contact information such as names and email addresses potentially accessed by an unauthorised third party.”

The matter has not been referred to police, though an internal investigation is ongoing.

Federal Group operate the Saffire Freycinet hotel on the state’s East Coast, along with Launceston’s Country Club Casino and Resort.

They also operate The Henry Jones Art Hotel, MACq 01 Hotel, and the Wrest Point casino in Hobart.

A list of “good security practices” were offered by the company to guests which included regularly changing passwords on other online services, enabling multi-factor authentication and other security measures.

It also recommended staying aware of potential phishing emails and telephone calls requesting personal details, installing and updating antivirus software, and applying software updates for operating systems and software.

While you're with us, did you know that you can now sign up to receive breaking news updates and daily headlines direct to your inbox. Sign up here.