Cybersecurity in Hotels

Importance of cybersecurity

One must be prepared when it comes to cybersecurity and we take it very seriously. We are constantly upgrading and updating our policies and firewalls. We have all the checks and balances in place. We also do tests like white hackers and network penetration tests. Our staff receives phishing emails from us, which we monitor for abnormal conduct and provide remedial support. What works the best whether you’re looking for physical or digital security—”Create Unpredictability”. A stalker always gives up when the target is unpredictable in their movements and locations and the same works with data. We have data backups in many forms – servers, offsite tape drives, our own data centre, third party cloud, etc. Cyber insurance is becoming increasingly important as we have seen almost 300% rise in data thefts and ransom’s being paid in last 24 months; and there had been instances where hospitality has been targeted.

• Protect Guest Data and information: Hospitality business handles sensitive data like name, address, date of Birth, and credit card information. Cyber security ensures this data remains secure, preventing identified theft or unauthorized access.
• Mitigate Financial losses:  A single data breach can lead to revenue losses and damage the brand’s reputation. Cybersecurity helps prevent such incidents and their financial impact.
• Prevent Business Disruption and Damage Reputation:  cyber-attacks can disrupt operations and harm the industry’s reputation. Robust security measures minimize this risk.
• Get Ready for what’s to come: Investing in cybersecurity guarantees resilience against changing threats as the hospitality industry grows.

Handling cyber breaches is essential for maintaining security, here are common types of breaches and how to prevent them.

• Phishing attacks:  Deceptive emails or messages trick users into sharing sensitive data. To prevent this, guide team members to avoid suspicious links or attachments and report phishing.
• Malware Attacks:  Malware compromises the system causing data breaches or unauthorized access. Type: Viruses: Self-replicating program that corrupts files and spreads, worm: exploits system vulnerabilities and replicates across networks, Trojans: disguised as harmless files but perform malicious activities.
• Ransomware:  Encrypt data and demand payment for decryption. Regular backup and security updates help prevent this.
• Insider Threats: Malicious actions by employees or contractors, Implement access control and monitor user activity.
• Data Breaches:  unauthorized access to sensitive information. Protect data with encryption and access control.
• Denial of service (Dos) Attacks: overwhelm systems, disrupting services –use firewalls and traffic filtering.
• Zero-Day exploits: Attackers exploit unknown vulnerabilities. Regularly update software and monitor security news.

Hospitality industry is handling very sensitive data of the guests – be it their personal information or the commercial / financial information, hence we must be extremely mindful of what data to store and how to store the same. Apart from being GDPR compliant, the hotels keep in mind PCI compliances, and some of the methodology and tech platforms that most high-end hotels use are End to End Encryption, latest firewalls, and software protection tools in form of upgrades and updates. For data, most of us use redundant array of independent disks configuration that uses disk striping with parity. Data and parity are striped evenly across all the disks so that the cybercriminal is not able to reconstruct the data even if they want to. In addition, the hotels provide regular training to employees to ensure they are trained in proper cybersecurity practices and can identify and respond to threats. The hotels must regularly update their software and systems to stay abreast of evolving cyber threats and vulnerabilities. In this way, the Indian hotel industry can not only protect guests, but also create a sustainable foundation for a future where technology and security work seamlessly together to enhance guest experience.

Read the full story that first appeared in Hotelier India’s July 2024 issue here: