Data Thieves Targeting Hotels

EAG — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 03:00:05 +0000

Most people believe that the finance and healthcare industries are the most susceptible to cyber attacks. However, according to the Los Angeles Times, the travel and hospitality industries are targeted by over 38% of all attacks. The main targets are business travelers who book rooms and flights online.

Despite the strides that have been made to better protect consumer’s personal information, insurance claims for data theft rose 56% last year. According to Laurie Frasier, a global markets leisure practice leader for Willis Group Holdings, large hotel chains are the most vulnerable. The customer data for these large customers can be stored at dozens or hundreds of different data centers around the world. Monitoring employee practices and enforcing company protocol at so many locations will always be an ongoing problem for these companies.

As scary as this sounds there are steps that you can take to protect your information and identity when you travel. One step that we advise all clients to take is to double-check that they only divulge personal information to the company you are booking with. As basic as this sounds, more and more of our clients have found themselves victims of a process called “phishing”.

Hackers set up malicious websites that may even look and feel exactly like the site you are trying to access. Once you are on these sites they collect all the data you enter, such as credit card or social security numbers. There are two simple ways to protect yourself from these attacks. The easiest step you can take is to update your internet browser to the latest version. All of the modern web browsers have built-in phishing protection that will alert you if you arrive at a malicious site.

Even an updated browser cannot protect you from all attackers. This is why you always have to be vigilant. If you get an email from a hotel you have never done business with, asking you to update your information, that is most likely someone looking to steal your information.

While these tactics will protect you from most attacks, consumers are still at the mercy of the corporations that collect user data. Although these companies do the best they can to protect personal information, hackers are employing more and more advanced techniques that may be successful. Because of this we recommend that our clients who travel frequently check their credit reports to see if there is any suspicious activity.

By law you have access to your credit report three times a year. Don’t be fooled by the jingles you hear on television. The ONLY place to receive your free federally mandated credit reports is www.annualcreditreport.com.

We will have more information in the future about the threats travelers face. To stay updated, join our cyber liability mailing list to receive the latest news and tips to protect yourself from predators.

Protect Your Identity!

Know Your Friends

EAG — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 16:10:57 +0000

From The Economist

One of the most powerful tools in a hacker’s arsenal is something used and trusted by millions of people everyday: social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. While at first glance these sites may not seem malicious, they are being exploited by hackers to gain access to your personal information.Let me ask you this, have you ever received a friend request from someone you do not know? How about a link to a video from a “friend” on a site you’ve never heard of? These are two of hackers go to moves in an attempt to breach your profile. One glance at all the information you make available there is all a hacker needs to start trying to dig deeper, accessing your bank accounts and other, more sensitive information.The best policy you can adopt is to never accept friend requests from people you do not know and to never follow, or at least be very wary of links that take you off the website. Hackers often setup dummy profiles complete with pictures, birthdays and even wives and kids! They may claim to have gone to high school or college with you, or maybe they are a friend of your neighbors cousin. Not all friend requests are malicious, but its good to verify that someone in your circle knows the person who contacted you before accepting any friend requests.Another hacker trick is to send you a link to a “cool video” or “amazing picture”. The link may have even come from one of your friends! But, there’s a chance that all the website will do is steal personal information. Don’t click on any links that take you to unknown websites, even if they come from a friend. Hackers who compromise an account send out these links, luring more people into their traps.Sometimes you can do everything right and still fall victim to a cyber attack. In the ever-increasing arms race between hackers and security companies, sometimes the hackers gain the upper hand, creating new types of attacks that security companies don’t even know exist until weeks or even months later.

Look no further than the recent attacks on Sony’s network that disclosed the personal information of over 100 million people, and you can see that even a titan with nearly unlimited resources can still fall victim to hackers using innovative and cutting edge weapons.

Edward A. Goodman

Data Thieves Targeting Hotels

Protect Your Identity!

Know Your Friends

Protect Your Identity!