(Yicai Global) Oct. 16 -- Hackers have infiltrated the payment systems of 41 hotels of Hyatt Hotels Corp. [NYSE:H] in 11 countries worldwide, causing the leakage of reams of data, with 18 Hyatt hotels in China affected.

China is thus the area most affected in this attack, both in the extent of impact and number of hotels affected.

Hackers often assail hotel systems, imperiling the security of guests' information. The data leaked this time includes card names, numbers, expiration dates and verification codes, Beijing Business Today reported today.

The customer payment card data stolen had been input manually or by card-swiping at Hyatt reception desks between March 18 and July 2. To access this info, third parties inserted cards with malicious software encoded into the information technology systems of some hotels, obtaining database access by exploiting vulnerabilities in hotel management systems, and then extracted and decrypted users' private information.

Based in Chicago in the US state of Illinois, Hyatt Hotels Corp owns such hotel brands as Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt and Hyatt, and currently runs 51 hotels in China.

The huge volume of bank card transactions in the hospitality industry makes it easier for hackers to illegally obtain identity information. Hotels also often connect their internal computer systems with others, which poses security risks, while their frequent turnover, inadequate security training, and other factors make private information leakage a severe problem within the sector.