FBI warns of hotel cyberattacks

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WASHINGTON, May 9 (UPI) -- The FBI is warning travelers cybercriminals are using pop-up notifications on hotel Internet connections to plant malware on users' computers.

The FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center said the pop-up lures appear when computer users are establishing an Internet connection in their hotel rooms, ZDNet.com reported Wednesday.

"In these instances, the traveler was attempting to setup the hotel room Internet connection and was presented with a pop-up window notifying the user to update a widely used software product," the FBI center said in a statement. "If the user clicked to accept and install the update, malicious software was installed on the laptop.

"The pop-up window appeared to be offering a routine update to a legitimate software product for which updates are frequently available," the statement said.

The FBI said it is recommending all government, private industry and academic personnel who travel be extra cautious before updating software products on a hotel Internet connection.