Article contributed by Chris Jones, @TurnOnVPN
Restaurants are often targets of attacks because their online security systems are easily penetrated. Owners are usually preoccupied with daily issues like maintaining customer inflow and lessening of costs, neglecting the importance of ensuring cybersecurity.
The industry is one that needs serious attention in cybersecurity. Essentially any breaches of a restaurant’s network need to be detected and blocked immediately.
What are the risks?
The two key things that most hackers fish for are monetary gain and sensitive data. The withholding of sensitive information could also be utilized in receiving remuneration in exchange for the release or non-exposure of the data. When hackers attack a restaurant’s network, there are three major things they would most likely be looking for. The first is the bank account information of the restaurant. The second is the bank account information of the restaurant’s customers. The third is sensitive data pertaining to the restaurant’s workers.
In all of these cases, the cybercriminal is looking for information that can be used for malicious means or illegal siphoning of funds. With bank account details, the hacker could make transfers or purchases to his/her account. The details could also be sold on illegal shops on the dark web.
Ways to protect your online security
Here are the best methods you could employ in protecting your restaurant’s online security. If you’re a restaurant owner, you should earnestly consider the following tips.
1. Be aware of devices linked to your restaurant’s wireless network
First off, your security network needs to be running on the most recent operating system. This is because older versions of operating systems contain a lot of gaps in security. The second step is to restrict access to mobiles and PCs that make use of a password. You also need to ensure Wi-Fi security and cultivate the culture of encouraging employees to use password-locked devices in the restaurant.
There are times that a worker could make use of the POS machine to surf the internet, potentially exposing the POS to hacks and malware from the internet. Once malware gets onto the POS, it could constitute a hotspot for a hacker to freely get credit card details of customers. This habit is meant to be discouraged as it could lead to the closure of the business.
2. Ensure staff is aware of phishing
A brewery in Scotland was locked out of access to their own sales data in 2018 after a ransomware attack on the brewery’s network. The way ransomware basically works is that the user is restricted access to his/her own data unless money is paid into the hacker(s) account. This ransomware attack was made possible when an employee downloaded an email attachment.
Most cybercriminals try to use one of the oldest styles of hacking which is phishing. Phishing involves the cloning of a phony website to look exactly like another legitimate website in order to get a user’s login details. Other phishing emails could contain malware that when downloaded infects a computer.
As a restaurant owner, you need to educate your employees on the dangers of phishing emails and the risk it poses to your business. You need to tell them to always be at alert when viewing suspicious email attachments. Your employees must use antivirus and malware detection software. Another method that could be used to prevent successful hacks is the setup of two-factor authentication for payments. This makes it difficult for cybercriminals to send payments out of your network. Make sure you prevent data breaches at all costs.
3. Examine third parties thoroughly
A lot of restaurants make use of third-party services like loyalty programs in order to expedite processes or provide better services. If you’re going to connect any third party vendors to your network, you need to ensure that their level of cybersecurity is equal, if not better than yours. You also need to make certain these third-party vendors are PCI compliant.
The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) entails regulations that necessitate all sizes of firms that make use of consumer credit card information to do so in a protected environment. You also need to make sure that customer information only lands in the hands of employees that need it such as human resources managers.
4. Ensure passcodes are safe
A lot of restaurant owners make the mistake of saving their passcodes in MS Word documents or written on a notepad in a visible area. The best place passwords can be secure is online password managing services like LastPass or Dashlane. Password managers also store the information of those that access the password and the time it was accessed.
5. Double-check employees before hire
Sometimes a user’s credit card information is all that’s needed to make a successful transaction online. A lot of employees have been reported to make use of customer credit card details to make purchases and payments behind their backs. Also, restaurant workers have access to perform image captures of a customer’s credit card for illegal use later. A simple background check before hiring a worker could prevent this security loophole.
6. Keep business computers out of sight
All devices used for your restaurant’s business should be kept out of sight of customers. This makes certain that only authorized individuals would have access to sensitive information like passwords. A business that does not protect its devices from sight could give negative signals to a customer who could potentially avoid patronizing such a business.
7. Utilize unique identification numbers for employees
Every employee in your restaurant should have unique identification numbers to make use of the POS machines. As a result, issues would be able to be tracked to a particular employee.
One of the most targeted small businesses by hackers are restaurants. Different forms of attacks could manifest like:
- the withholding of the restaurant’s data by the malicious elements
- sale of the data on the dark web
- use of credit card information to make purchases or transfers online.
To strengthen the cybersecurity of your restaurant you could take steps like making a background check on employees, examining third-party vendors, educating staff on phishing, and storing passcodes with online password managers.
Chris is the resident tech expert and managing director of #TurnOnVPN. #TurnOnVPN is an activist group whose mission is to promote free and unimpeded internet for all. We take part in numerous online events to advocate for a safe, secure, and censor-free Internet. Learn more about cybersecurity at www.turnonvpn.org/blog/.
