Finnish hotel chain hit by ransomware switches 2,000 Windows laptops to Chrome OS.
Our electronic devices, from our smartphones and laptops to our smartwatches and other gadgets, are vulnerable to cyber attacks. No system is secure, and the consequences of a breach can vary. Ransomware attacks can cause massive damage. And this often pushes victims to make important decisions.
Finnish hotel chain hit by ransomware
Recently, ransomware attacks have become more frequent. For those not familiar with this concept, a computer downloads malware that encrypts the entire disk of the machine, or even everything on the network. In order to decrypt it, and therefore recover its files, the hackers demand a ransom, and once it’s received, they give you the decryption key. Without it, data is lost forever.
This is exactly what happened some time ago in Finland with the large national hotel chain Nordic Choice Hotels. The ransomware attack took out all of the company’s systems, but instead of paying hackers to remove the malware and restore its files, the company decided to convert its Windows PCs to Chrome OS devices. Problem fixed.
upgrade 2000 Windows laptops to Chrome OS
The operation was carried out thanks to CloudReady software, which Google bought in 2020. This allows old Windows PCs that are no longer necessarily in use to become Chrome OS PCs. And this is exactly what the hotel chain has achieved. In total, about 2,000 Windows laptops turned into Chrome OS laptops in about 48 hours.
Much faster solution than trying to rid all computers of this virus. Indeed, changes can be managed directly by the management, while if it were necessary to clean each car individually, it would be necessary to send technicians to each hotel to intervene.