In early April, another significant cyber-attack hit Omni Hotels & Resorts, leading to a complete shutdown of its IT systems and causing widespread operational disruptions. The company quickly took its network offline to control the damage, protect data, and prevent further issues. However, this necessary action severely impacted hotel operations, disrupting activities such as reservation management, manual room door unlocking, and operations of POS systems in their restaurants and shops. The financial toll of the attack is estimated to exceed one million dollars, and it is suspected to have been a ransomware attack similar to a previous one that targeted MGM in Las Vegas.
The inconvenience caused by the Omni outage was palpable for many customers, yet not all were aware of the risks associated with such cyber-attacks. A compromised network puts every connected device at risk unless protected by advanced security tools. It is vital to consider all network connections as potential threats, especially when traveling. This article offers several tips to help ensure your safety while traveling for work or leisure this summer:
Avoid Public Wi-Fi: Refrain from connecting to public Wi-Fi networks at hotels, cafes, or airports, as compromised networks can allow hackers to access your devices.
Disable Auto-Connect: Turn off the auto-connect feature on your devices to prevent them from connecting to potentially malicious Wi-Fi networks automatically. Always connect manually to known and trusted networks.
Use a Personal Hotspot: Utilize the hotspot feature on your mobile phone for a more secure connection, allowing your devices to access the internet through your phone. If this feature isn't available, consider contacting your wireless provider to enable it.
Adhering to these safety tips can significantly enhance your protection against cyber threats. For those traveling for business, or managing teams that do, it's crucial to equip all work-related devices with professional-grade cybersecurity measures. The risk of your team encountering malware at an event and bringing it back to affect your business operations is a scenario worth diligently avoiding.
All business owners in Northern California should take a crucial lesson from this regrettable incident: regardless of your company's size, you are vulnerable to a cyber-attack. Even well-established corporations like Omni, with more than 50 locations nationwide, are susceptible to hacking, despite substantial investments in cybersecurity. Although no system can be completely foolproof, businesses, especially small ones lacking in security measures, are particularly at risk.
If your business does not have a cybersecurity system in place or if you seek a second opinion on your existing arrangements, we provide a FREE Discovery Call. This evaluation will meticulously review your network to identify any vulnerabilities and offer tailored recommendations to bolster your security protocols.
Click here to book your Discovery Call with one of our cybersecurity experts, or call our office at 707-689-3999.
