The hospitality industry is ever-growing and covers a wide range of services to cater to people’s daily needs. Starting from their favorite food and beverages to travel and tourism, it plays a vital role in everything. However, after the pandemic, this industry was limited to online exposure. This also increased the frequency of cyber-attacks on this industry which is still a concern for it in today’s age.
It encounters various emerging cyber threats on a daily basis which affects the company’s growth in numerous ways. Successful cyber-attacks lead to loss of reputation, disruption of business operations, and additional costs of remediation after an attack. Knowing this, it should be a high priority for every business owner working in this industry to implement robust security measures.
Let’s dig deeper into this and uncover the top cyber threats hospitality industry must watch out for.
5 Cyber Threats the Hospitality Industry Must Guard Against
The hospitality industry stores a high volume of sensitive data that is very useful to cybercriminals. They can sell the data on the dark web or ask for a ransom in exchange for it. To do this, they use various attacking methods which the hospitality industry is highly vulnerable to. Whether it’s darkhotel hacking or POS (Point-of-Sale) system attacks, everything can be detrimental to this industry. This article will further explain these threats and what can you do to prevent them.
Here are 5 cyber threats for the hospitality industry you must seek protection against.
DarkHotel Hacking
While this method is not known by most people it is actually a very dangerous one for the hospitality industry. Cybercriminals use this method to target high-profile executives staying in luxury hotels. To attempt this, cybercriminals use various methods such as using the company Wi-Fi networks.
Through this, when the executives get connected to the hotel Wi-Fi, they are encouraged to download malicious software. If they are successful, they can steal away sensitive information of guests staying in your hotel.
This has negative effects on your reputation and can lead to loss of trust. However, such types of attacks require modern-day cybersecurity solutions to prevent them. This is why owners opt for managed security services to keep these threats at bay.
Customer Data Theft
Cybercriminals are always looking for identities and credit card data to use for their own gain. Hospitality industry is one of the tops among which have a high volume of data like. This makes this a top priority for cybercriminals to breach the security of the company and steal away customer data.
In order for the hospitality industry to prevent such threats they rely on robust cybersecurity solutions. They must protect all their internet-facing assets such as their networks, software, and their digital assets.
Ransomware
This is probably one of the most famous cyber-attacks that almost every industry encounters. The attack uses malicious software to take control of targeted system access or lock them out of their system. In return for restoring access, cybercriminals demand a ransom which can be bad for the company’s financial health.
Ransomware spreads through various ways such as phishing emails, malicious websites, or by exploiting system security. Protection against this attack is non-negotiable for restaurants and hotels to prevent major setbacks caused by this threat. Traditional security solutions may not be enough to ensure protection against therefore you must opt for modern-day security services.
POS Attacks
POS (Point-of-Sale) attacks are cyberattacks on a company POS system which is hardware software to complete sales transactions. Due to its nature, the system holds a high volume of payment information and other personal data acquired to process the transactions. This is the reason why cybercriminals target this system to gain access to sensitive information.
POS attacks are attempted in various ways such as infecting the system with POS through phishing emails and exploiting software vulnerabilities. This malware then captures anything that is processed in the system including card numbers, CVV codes, or expiration dates. Criminals use this information to purchase items online without the consent of the card owner.
DDoS
DDoS (Distributed Denial-of-Service) is a highly common cyber-attack which mostly affects the web. The main purpose of this attack is to cause the company’s internet-facing assets to get sluggish or become unavailable. The attack sends abnormal on any network to overburden it and consume its bandwidth and resources.
However, the use of DDoS for the hospitality industry is to target the wide range of systems hotels use. They use this method to hijack the security cameras by making them vulnerable. To prevent DDoS attacks your system always requires a robust security layer. For this, you can acquire managed security services to prevent DDoS attacks from affecting your business.
Are You Concerned About Hospitality Industry Cyber Threats?
Don’t let detrimental cyber-attacks affect your business growth and prevent your revenue from growing. You can lean on professional cybersecurity experts to secure your entire system. Contact professionals now and keep all the emerging cyber threats at bay.
