Unlike your guests, the bad guys never rest. They don’t need power naps after a day of sightseeing and rarely pause to catch their breath. In other words, cyber threats are persistent and relentless, requiring preparation and real-world solutions.
As a mobile key provider for hotels, cybersecurity is top priority for OpenKey and we have built our solution accordingly. We understand the enormity of these hotel cybersecurity threats and want to best prepare you for the ever-escalating data intrusions that jeopardize your hotel’s well-being.
This is why we’ve partnered with cloud security experts, Armor, and hotel guest cyber security experts, Venza, to create an infographic that summarizes the nature and scope of the cyber security issues plaguing the hospitality industry.
Sobering Statistics
Hospitality is one of the top five industries subjected to network breaches each year. Due to the complex, often splintered systems from multiple vendors to fulfill multiple functions, a lack of system connectivity provides points of network entry for threat actors to hijack data and embed ransomware.
The very nature of these vulnerabilities exposes hospitality organizations to future intrusions as multiple network backdoors are difficult to both find and permanently patch due to system complexities. As you can see in our infographic, the statistical data concerning hotel cybersecurity threats only reinforces these sobering notions.
Diligence and Preparation are Your Best Defense
If a cyber attack is suspected, following a set of deliberate and well-planned guidelines can help minimize any possible damage to your systems and overall organization. As a matter of standard practice, always make sure your Incident Response Plan (IRP) is up-to-date and in accordance with compliance standards and regulatory laws. When a cyber threat is either experienced or imminent, be methodical with your response.
- Reference your IRP to review your course of action
- Assemble your team
- Keep any possible evidence
- Stop the bleeding as quickly as possible
- Continue monitoring systems since only one infected machine is required to allow and trigger subsequent compromises
- Make a strong comeback by patching exposed entry points, follow your best practices, and conduct all needed re-imaging and manual cleanup procedures
Perhaps the most important lesson to be learned, however, is to improve from past mistakes and vulnerabilities so they don’t happen again. Integrating all new data points and procedures into your IRP tasks can help prevent similar breaches in the future.
Hotel cybersecurity threats are an inevitability but that doesn’t mean your organization is defenseless. Cyber defense experts Armor & Venza are here to provide you solutions that can help ensure your stability and longevity. As always, if you want the most secure (and easy to use) hotel door key, OpenKey is a hotel’s best choice.
