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The UK hospitality sector cannot afford to accommodate cybercriminals
Like every industry , the hospitality industry is not immune to cyberattacks . Hotels hold large amounts of sensitive data from customers , including credit cards and home addresses , so it is vital that their cyberdefences are as strong as possible . Deryck Mitchelson , Global CISO at Check Point , urges the hospitality sector to take stock of its cybersecurity following a series of incidents .
UK tourism has finally started to recover after the pandemic , with 37.5 million tourists visiting the shores in 2023 . Unfortunately , the sudden surge in tourism has been met with an equal rise in ransomware activities as opportune cybercriminals use the resumption of travel activity as an avenue to elicit sensitive information . After claims that the notorious Hunters International group was able to breach the cybersecurity of the Dalmahoy Hotel and Country Club in Edinburgh , hotels and hospitality services need to be better equipped to deal with the cybersecurity threats targeting the sector .
This comes after a 2023 government survey that found food and hospitality businesses tend to regard cybersecurity as a lower priority than those in other sectors , with only 58 % considering it a high priority , compared to 71 % of businesses overall . This disparity becomes even more glaring when we consider that only 22 % of food and hospitality businesses had a board member taking responsibility for cybersecurity . The breach earlier this year included 949.9GB of data from the Dalmahoy Hotel and Country Club in Edinburgh – it is clear that hotels and hospitality services need to be better equipped to deal with the cybersecurity threats targeting the sector .
Reputation is currency in the hospitality sector , and it requires a huge level of trust from the customer to willingly hand over sensitive data such as credit card information , home address and contact details . In most cases , we don ’ t know how that information is used , or what system it www . intelligentcxo . com
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