Russian hacking is still all over the news, but you may have missed hearing about one small but significant hack: hotel Wi-Fi networks.

The U.S. Department of Justice in October 2018 charged seven hackers with a range of crimes. Hackers would sit outside of hotels and, using simple tools that anyone could download, grab passwords, credentials, and other data as it passed over Wi-Fi. Last year alone, there were three major breaches at large, mainstream hotel chains affecting more than a billion pieces of guest information.

The latest attack methods include not only hacking Wi-Fi signals but also using network-connected "internet of things" devices and tablets to gain access to confidential hotel and guest information and resources, explains Jay Rosenberg, senior security researcher for Kaspersky Global Research and Analysis Team. A hacker can get into a hotelier's network by infiltrating smart blinds or smart lights connected to the IT infrastructure or hiding software or malware on a tablet.

"Hackers can also use an unsecured Wi-Fi connection to distribute malware," Rosenberg says. "If a user is file-sharing across a network, the hacker can easily plant infected software on your computer by hacking the connection point itself, causing a pop-up window to appear offering an upgrade to a piece of popular software."