State of the Industry

As the hospitality sector undergoes substantial digital transformation marked by the rise of online booking systems, digital payment methods, and digital guest services – it finds itself grappling with a multitude of cybersecurity threats. This industry, laden with sensitive data such as customers’ personal identification, financial information, protected health information, employee data, trade secrets, and suppliers’ banking details, has become a prime target for cybercriminals. In fact, according to Ponemon and IBM Security’s 2022 global case study report, the average total cost of a data breach in the hospitality sector from 2021 to 2022 stood at $2.94 million. These staggering expenses stem from a variety of sources, including lost business, reputational damage, legal costs, and regulatory response.

Recent Attacks

Recent incidents have revealed the vulnerability of the hospitality industry to cyber threats. Hotels and resorts have been exposed to a variety of cyberattacks, with low-level social engineering and phishing campaigns proving particularly effective. A notable cybercrime group, TA5583, has targeted Latin American hospitality companies with malicious links and attachments. A widely recognized UK-based multinational hospitality company suffered a two-day outage of their online booking system due to a hack in September 2022. The same group faced a ransomware attack at one of its Turkish locations the previous month.

However, many other breaches go unpublicized due to concerns about backlash and potential damage to reputation.

Common Threats and Vulnerabilities:

• Phishing: Hackers often use deceptive emails that seem to come from a trusted source to trick hotel employees into opening malware-laden attachments or clicking on malicious links.
• Standalone Systems & Apps; Ransomware: Another big threat in Hospitality is ransomware.  Hackers are attacking stand alone systems or apps that control major building components, like elevators and HVAC systems.  A ransomware attack on an elevator in a 10 or 20 story building will hold a company hostage and the company will have no choice but to adhere to the attack if they are not properly secured.Most firms in the Hospitality sector, especially in major metropolitan areas, tend to secure their corporate networks while often overlooking the security of applications and additional products that control major building components. This oversight is becoming increasingly common as more businesses rely on various cloud-based applications for their operations. The focus on enhancing security for these individual components is paramount in preventing potential threats and vulnerabilities.
• Point-of-sale and payment card attacks: These types of attacks pose a significant threat to the hospitality industry. Often, the attacks target vendors who are considered the weak link in the security chain.
• Denial of Service (DoS) Attacks: In such attacks, hackers flood systems with excessive bogus traffic causing servers to become overwhelmed and non-functional.
• DarkHotel Hacking: This cybercrime group targets high-value individuals through hotel Wi-Fi, often leading to the theft of confidential information.
• Customer Data and Identity Theft: One of the major risks to hotel security and reputation is the hacking of customer credit card data, necessitating network security upgrades and employee training.

CyBourn’s Solutions: Addressing the Cyber Threat Landscape

CyBourn recognizes the unique cybersecurity challenges faced by the hospitality sector. We offer expertise in mapping out our client’s external and internal attack surface to identify gaps, recommend missing controls, and specific actions for remediation and improvement. Our service allows clients to establish a comprehensive roadmap to improve their cybersecurity posture tailored to identified threats.

CyBourn’s Customized Solutions:

• Vulnerability Assessments & Security Audits: Our team conducts meticulous assessments to identify potential weak spots in your systems, subsequently performing detailed audits to confirm the robustness of your security infrastructure. With a particular emphasis on mapping out both the external and internal attack surface of our clients, we strive to pinpoint gaps, suggest missing controls, and propose specific actions for remediation and improvement. This service allows clients to craft a comprehensive, threat-tailored roadmap aimed at enhancing their cybersecurity posture.
• Comprehensive 24/7 Managed Detection and Response with EtherLast™: Our proprietary EtherLast™ platform powers 24/7 monitoring, threat detection, and response. Our SOC team employs machine learning, customized automation, and existing tools integration for efficient, cost-effective security.
• Incident Response: Our specialized CSIRT (Computer Security Incident Response Team) delivers a robust, swift, and human-led incident response service. We prioritize active remediation, thorough analysis, and expert guidance, emphasizing human-centric solutions over automated incident handling.
• Security Tool Configuration and Management: We help select and configure security tools and often serve as an extended part of client IT teams managing infrastructure.
• Compliance Advisory: We guide businesses through complex regulatory landscapes to ensure compliance with relevant laws and standards.
• Penetration Testing: Through rigorous testing, we identify vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers.
• Proactive Threat Hunting: Our team proactively seeks out and neutralizes threats before they can impact your business.
• Vendor Risk Management: CyBourn offers robust vendor risk management, conducting security assessments, continuous threat monitoring, and swift incident response to safeguard organizations from third-party vulnerabilities.
• Prioritizing Insider Threats and APTs: We target insider threats and Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) by employing proactive threat hunting, behavioral analysis, and comprehensive staff training, thereby reducing the risk of inadvertent data breaches.

CyBourn’s Comprehensive Approach

At CyBourn, we excel in identifying both external and internal attack surfaces, uncovering security gaps, recommending necessary controls, and proposing specific actions for remediation and improvement.

Continuous risk assessment evaluations form a crucial part of our approach. By regularly diagnosing potential vulnerabilities in your systems and utilizing real-time attack surface monitoring, we provide proactive defenses against potential ransomware and phishing attacks.

Our comprehensive approach enables our clients to develop a roadmap for enhancing their cybersecurity posture, tailor-made to the threats they face. Our dedicated, human-led incident response team operates from our 24/7/365 Security Operations Center, utilizing industry-leading tools for real-time system and network monitoring. We ensure early detection and prompt response to potential cyber threats, significantly mitigating any possible damage.

Conclusion

In a landscape of evolving cyber threats, CyBourn provides the expertise, technology, and services necessary to secure your hospitality business. Together, we can navigate the complex cybersecurity landscape, ensuring your organization remains resilient, protected, and compliant, while maintaining the trust and satisfaction of your guests.