The recent hack at White Lodging Hotels Group following the data breaches at Target and Neiman Marcus, serve as harsh reminders that all businesses, both large and small, are vulnerable to cyber attacks.
Vacation properties can be especially vulnerable; guests often make several transactions per day, shopping at the gift store, eating at the restaurant, booking spa services, and more. Often these hotels are running off of one main server and offers free Wi-Fi to guests, making them especially attractive to hackers.
According to HotelInteractive.com’s recent article, there are several steps property owners can take to protect themselves and their guests from being hacked. We’ve outlined these below:
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Start with a strong foundation and partner with a third-party vendor (such as Eleven) that specializes in data security and integrity.
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Get a real commitment to data security from C-level executives; the rest of the organization won’t take it seriously unless the CEO buys in.
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Use strong usernames and passwords (i.e. not a hotel, conference, or meeting name) and change them often; never leave them written down.
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Restrict access to sensitive data and only enable access to certain levels of your organization.
According to the article, only about 25% of data breaches are discovered by targeted organizations and not until after an average of over 200 days! You can save a lot of money and headache just by investing in daily maintenance and necessary security measures. Read more about how to maximize your online security here.
Have you implemented all of the above?