Hackers Who Attended Black Hat and DefCon Conferences Say Hotel Security Personnel Demanded Access To Their Rooms (the-parallax.com)

More than two dozen hackers and security experts who attended security events last week say security personnel at the Mandalay Bay, Luxor, Caesars Palace, Flamingo, Aria, Cromwell, Tuscany, Linq, or Mirage hotels had entered their rooms. Security news site The Parallax reports: Except for Tuscany, which is independent, all of these hotels are owned by either Caesars Entertainment or MGM Resorts International. And of the three hotel companies, only Caesars returned a request for comment. Richard Broome, executive vice president of communications and government relations for Caesars Entertainment, whose Caesars Palace is co-hosting DefCon this year with the Flamingo, said that following the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history last year, "periodic" hotel room checks are now standard operating procedure in Las Vegas. On October 1, 2017, from his room at the Mandalay Bay, Stephen Paddock used semiautomatic weapons he'd outfitted with bump stocks to kill 58 people and wound at least 527 others attending a gated country music concert on the Strip below. [...] Two apparent Caesars security officers wearing hotel name tags displaying only the first names "Cynthia" and "Keith," respectively, as well as sheriff's style badges that looked like they came out of a Halloween costume kit, visited my room while I was writing this story. Cynthia told me that they are instructed to refer to the front desk guests who decline to allow their room to be searched.

After Cynthia and Keith declined to disclose their last names to me, I asked what they intended to do in the room. They told me that they would enter it, type a code into the room's phone line to signal that it's been checked, and then do a visual spot check. When I asked what they would be looking for, Cynthia replied, "WMDs -- that sort of thing." Other conference attendees reported similar but less pleasant interactions. Katie Moussouris, CEO of Luta Security, wrote on Twitter that two hotel security personnel were "banging" on her room door and "shouted" at her. She also said the hotel's security team supervisor "dismissed" her concerns over how the hotel was treating single, female travelers. Google security engineer Maddie Stone tweeted that a man wearing a light-blue shirt and a walkie-talkie entered her Caesars Palace room with a key, but without knocking, while she was getting dressed. "He left when I started screaming," she wrote, adding that a hotel manager, upon her request, said Caesars would look into whether the man was actually an employee. Stone tweeted that she left DefCon early because of the incident.

Comments

What are Nevada's gun carrying rules?

[Bruce66423]

Shooting the guy who entered while she was dressing would have helped educate him and others for the future...

Re:What are Nevada's gun carrying rules?

[DarkOx]

I have had this happen to me as well. Moral of the story here is 1) knock as you suggest at least the first time your are entering your new room, 2) when you are in the room use the bolt / chain. This will prevent anyone card, key or not from just entering the room.

If someone is so aggressive about entering your room they tear door form its hinges, snap the chain, etc than you may feel justifiably so threaten that I will be sympathetic if serving on your jury and we are to determine if your shooting them was self defense.

Re:What are Nevada's gun carrying rules?

[taustin]

I have never once been in a hotel (or motel) that doesn't have a mechanical privacy lock on the door. It can't be opened from the outside without considerable trouble (and noise).

Do people not know what these are for?

Use your locks!

[Aqualung812]

Google security engineer Maddie Stone tweeted that a man wearing a light-blue shirt and a walkie-talkie entered her Caesars Palace room with a key, but without knocking, while she was getting dressed.

Before I saying anything, to be clear:
1. Ms. Stone did nothing wrong.
2. The man entering the room was absolutely criminal in entering a room like that without knocking.

That said, when you're in your room, lock your doors. Use the deadbolt, use the little chain, and anything else available.

Normally, the deadbolt alone will prevent the key card from working.
While the chain is nearly useless from keeping someone from breaking in, it gives a few seconds of delay to the intruder, giving you time to respond.

Same category as leaving your laptop in the passenger seat of a car. You don't deserve to have your window smashed and laptop stolen, and it is NOT your fault if someone does it.
It still is a better idea to put it out of sight, though.

Re:Use your locks!

[pr0t0]

Um, yes. It was criminal. The crime committed was criminal trespass. There is no low/high bar for criminal activity; there is simply what is stated by the Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS). I suppose there are areas where there exists room for interpretation. This is not one of them.

In the state of Nevada, as is true in most states, the 4th amendment rights you enjoy in your home are generally extended to your hotel room. A warrant is required for entering a hotel room as part of an official investigation. The hotel may have cause to enter your room if they believe criminal activity is taking place, housekeeping, maintenance, or a disruption of other guests. In no circumstance are they allowed to enter without announcing themselves first. /IANAL

Freedom from illegal search is one of the many rights that makes the U.S. the country that it is. Unfortunately, we have to defend those rights with extreme prejudice against the scared little bunnies of our nation that carelessly toss them out to feel a little safer.