interacting with suspicious accounts , or by refusing to click on links inside email exchanges that may not be trustworthy . For example , if a website sends a password change request directly to your email , users are urged to change their password directly on that website rather than navigating to the web address through any links in the email , bypassing potential attempts from hackers to steal passwords or other information .
As part of your data defense initiatives , it is also important to keep your antivirus up to date and stay current with operating system and network security updates .
More sophisticated scams are appearing each year , with modern hackers using publicly available information about a hotel to trick members of its staff or guests into providing them with private guest information . Known as vishing scams ( voice phishing ), these cons , more akin to social engineering , impersonate hotel leadership to obtain guest credit card information , phone number , email , and even home addresses by engaging in deceptive phone conversations .
Employee training is the most crucial part of data security , as it can dissuade habits that could potentially open your property up to vulnerabilities . The goal of cyber security , after all , is to make accessing your property ’ s data more trouble than it ’ s worth , prompting hackers to move on in search of low-hanging fruit . This is important because every hotel across the industry , independent and branded , are potential targets for cyber scams and should have a plan in place should their property ’ s data become compromised .
Bring a Backup
So , you ’ ve been hacked ; now what ? In a best-case scenario , your property has a comprehensive data storage plan in place , which saves a fresh backup every night in addition to recording transaction log backups regularly throughout the day . Armed with this , a hotel could confidently delete its compromised data and restore it to a backup , losing at most a handful of hours of business in exchange for cutting the hacker loose from your system . If you are hosted in your PMS provider ’ s cloud environment , your backups will be automatically done and managed , and better secured against these threats .
It ’ s easy to see how ransomware is a threat , but with a little extra strategizing behind your data protection strategy hotels can be better prepared to brush these attacks aside . Conversely , hotels without a way to properly retrieve or store backup data are complicating an issue that could leave them without months — or years — of data .
Hoteliers should speak with their PMS provider about setting up a data backup plan . Many of these plans can be automated , providing the confidence that hotels remain protected in the event of a ransomware attack . Thanks to data storage strategies such as these , disruptive and potentially expensive ransomware attacks can be avoided .
About the author Warren Dehan is the President of
Maestro PMS , the preferred cloud and on-premises PMS solution for independent hotels , luxury resorts , conference centers , vacation rentals , and multi-property groups . Maestro was first to market with a fully integrated Windows PMS and Sales & Catering solution and is continuing that trend with leadingedge web and mobile-based solutions . Platform and deployment independence present Maestro as an investment that will continue to grow and adapt as new technologies emerge .
122 ILHA