The Top Five Cyberthreats Hotel Brands and Franchisees Need to Know About | Netsurion - 0 views
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ay for guests, it also opens hotels to digital threats perpetrated by malicious actors. Consequently, hotel operators should be aware of the types of cyber attacks, which can significantly hurt their brand reputation and bottom line, not to mention the safety and welfare of employees and guests.
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In January, for example, cyber criminals took over a luxurious Austrian hotel’s computer-controlled key-card system, locking 180 guests out of their rooms until hotel managers paid a nominal ransom
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A ransomware attack may disable or alter performance of hotels’ computer-driven systems such as air conditioning and lighting, putting guests’ comfort and, worse yet, safety at risk. In addition, booking systems are extremely vulnerable to ransomware attacks because they process information belonging to the hotels, third-party applications and their customers.
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One of the largest data breaches in history was conducted through a third-party vendor when hackers stole data from 70 million credit cards by gaining access to a mega-retailer’s network through credentials belonging to an HVAC contractor.
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Train employees. Hotels should train employees to not open suspicious emails or links inside them as they may contain malware.
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Statistics indicate that such incidents will become more frequent, so it is not a matter of if but when the next cyber attack will occur.
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Integrate a managed SIEM. Hotels should bring on a managed security information and event management (SIEM) platform for their remote locations to be warned right away of cyber attacks. They may also want it for inside the perimeter if they lack the expertise and resources to properly use SIEM internally.
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Maintain PCI compliance. The Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) has put forth a set of stipulations, the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), in response to rapid PCI expansion. Hotels should make sure they are compliant with these regulations, which require businesses to send credit-card information in a secure environment, to prevent paying heavy fines and losing data, revenue, and customer trust.
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Install antivirus on all devices. Hotels should ensure they have reliable anti-virus and anti-malware software installe
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According to the FBI, the number of cyber threat occurrences quadrupled to 4,000 per day last year from 1,000 per day in 2015
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The number of cybersecurity incidents worldwide increased 38 percent in 2015 from 2014, according to the Global State of Information Security Survey 2016 by PwC, CIO, and CSO.
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In addition, there are large volumes of payment card transactions between restaurants, on-site shops, spas, parking, and the front-desk, ensuring there is plenty of customer data for a hacker to compromise.
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Hotels are especially vulnerable to this type of attack where a type of malware disrupts access to a system until a ransom is paid. This is because they often use integrated POS systems
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Hackers can break into hotels’ payment systems through a remote access point belonging to one of its vendors, so they should closely monitor third-party access to their networks
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This article outlines some of the main cyber attacks on the Hospitality industry. It exposes the threats due to the wealth of data stored in PMS, POS and CRM and suggests steps to take to protect against malware and randsomeware. The article further highlights the necessity for antivirus software on all devices.
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The article describes the five most common cybersecurity risks for hotel brands such as ransomware, remote hacking and DDoS attacks. The operational elements of each risk have also been discussed. It also covers best practices that hotels and other hospitality organizations can adopt to curb breaches.