By Natasha Parry, General Manager, SATIB Insurance Brokers
Cyber risks are a serious threat to the tourism industry. Hackers can target your business and steal your customers’ personal and financial data, disrupt your operations, damage your reputation, and extort you for ransom.
As a tourism business owner, you need to take proactive steps to prevent and mitigate cyber risks. You also need to have the right insurance in place to cover you in case of a cyber incident.
What are cyber risks and why are they important for the tourism industry?
Cyber risks are any events that involve unauthorized access, use, or damage of electronic data or systems. Some common examples of cyber risks are:
- Phishing: This is when hackers send fraudulent emails or messages that look like they come from legitimate sources, such as banks, suppliers, or customers. They try to trick you into clicking on malicious links or attachments, or providing sensitive information, such as passwords or credit card numbers.
- Malware: This is any software that is designed to harm or disrupt your computer or network. It can include viruses, worms, trojans, ransomware, spyware, adware, etc. Malware can infect your devices through phishing emails, malicious websites, removable media, or software downloads.
- Ransomware: This is a type of malware that encrypts your data or locks your system and demands a ransom for restoring access. Hackers can threaten to delete your data, expose it publicly, or sell it to other criminals if you don’t pay the ransom.
- Data breach: This is when hackers gain unauthorized access to your data and steal it, modify it, or delete it. They can use your data for identity theft, fraud, blackmail, or other malicious purposes. They can also sell your data to other hackers or competitors.
- Denial-of-service (DoS) attack: This is when hackers overwhelm your website or network with a large amount of traffic or requests, making it slow down or crash. This can prevent you from providing services to your customers, resulting in lost revenue and reputation.
Cyber risks are especially important for the tourism industry because:
- Tourism businesses collect and store a lot of sensitive data from their customers, such as names, addresses, IDs, passports, credit cards, travel plans, preferences, etc. This data is valuable for hackers and can cause serious harm to your customers if compromised.
- Tourism businesses rely heavily on online platforms and systems for booking, payment, communication, marketing, etc. These platforms and systems can be vulnerable to cyber-attacks and cause operational disruptions and financial losses if compromised.
- Tourism businesses operate in a highly competitive and dynamic market. They need to maintain a high level of customer satisfaction and loyalty. A cyber incident can damage their reputation and trustworthiness and cause them to lose customers and market share.
How can you prevent and mitigate cyber risks?
The best way to protect your tourism business from cyber risks is to adopt a comprehensive and proactive approach that includes:
- Employee training: Your employees are the first line of defense against cyber risks. You need to train them on how to identify and avoid phishing emails and other suspicious messages. You also need to educate them on the importance of using strong passwords and multifactor authentication for accessing your systems and data. You should also have clear policies and procedures for reporting and responding to any suspicious or malicious activity.
- Endpoint protection: Your devices (such as computers, laptops, tablets, smartphones) are the entry points for hackers to access your network and data. You need to use reputable antivirus software on your devices and keep them updated with the latest security patches. You also need to use encryption to protect your data in transit and at rest.
- Network security: Your network (such as routers, switches, firewalls) is the backbone of your online operations. You need to secure your network from unauthorized access and intrusion by using firewalls, VPNs (virtual private networks), SSL (secure sockets layer) certificates, etc. You also need to monitor your network traffic and activity for any anomalies or signs of attack.
- Cloud security: Your cloud services (such as email hosting, web hosting, data storage) are the lifeline of your online presence. You need to choose reliable and reputable cloud providers that offer high levels of security and privacy for your data and systems. You also need to review their terms and conditions carefully and understand their roles and responsibilities in case of a cyber incident.
- Risk assessment: You need to conduct regular risk assessments to identify and evaluate the potential cyber threats and vulnerabilities facing your business. You need to prioritize the most critical assets and processes that need protection and implement appropriate controls and measures to reduce the risk exposure.
- Risk mitigation solution: You need to use a risk mitigation solution that will help you monitor and manage your off-premise risk profile: any leaked information or exposure across the web. This solution will alert you of any potential breaches or incidents involving your business and help you take corrective actions.
How can insurance help you in case of a cyber incident?
Despite your best efforts, you may still face a cyber incident that can cause significant damage and losses to your business. This is where insurance can help you.
Insurance can provide you with a defined incident response process and access to leading experts who will help you with your breach. These experts include:
- An IT forensic team: They will come in when you realize that you have a breach and help you get back up and running as soon as possible. They will investigate the cause and extent of the breach, contain and eliminate the threat, recover and restore your data and systems, and prevent future attacks.
- Legal experts: They will assist you with liability issues. They will advise you on your legal obligations and rights, such as notifying your customers, regulators, or law enforcement authorities. They will also help you defend yourself against any lawsuits or claims from third parties.
- A reputation management team: They will assist you with brand reputation damage. They will help you communicate effectively with your stakeholders, such as customers, employees, partners, media, etc. They will also help you rebuild your trust and credibility in the market.
Your insurance policy will also cover various costs and expenses that may arise from a cyber incident, such as:
- Ransom payment: If you are a victim of ransomware, your policy will cover the ransom payment to the hackers. The experts will negotiate with the hackers to lower the ransom amount and verify that they have the decryption keys. They will also try to decrypt your systems without paying the ransom if possible.
- Business interruption: If your business operations are disrupted or suspended due to a cyber incident, your policy will cover the loss of income and the extra expenses that you incur to resume your normal operations.
- Data restoration: If your data is corrupted or deleted due to a cyber incident, your policy will cover the cost of restoring or recreating your data from backups or other sources.
- Liability and compensation: If your customers or other third parties suffer any harm or loss due to a cyber incident involving your business, such as identity theft, fraud, or breach of contract, your policy will cover the legal fees and the settlement amounts that you have to pay.
How to choose the right insurance for your tourism business?
Cyber insurance is not a one-size-fits-all solution. You need to choose the right insurance for your tourism business that suits your specific needs and budget.
Some factors that you need to consider when choosing cyber insurance are:
- The scope of coverage: You need to check what types of cyber risks and incidents are covered by the policy and what are excluded. You also need to check what types of costs and expenses are covered by the policy and what are not.
- The limit of liability: You need to check how much the policy will pay for each claim and for each policy period. You also need to check if there is any deductible or co-payment that you have to pay before the policy pays.
- The premium rate: You need to check how much the policy will cost you based on various factors, such as your industry, size, revenue, risk profile, security posture, etc. You also need to check if there are any discounts or incentives that you can avail based on your security measures or practices.
- The claims process: You need to check how easy and fast it is to file a claim and get paid by the policy. You also need to check how responsive and supportive the insurer is in case of a cyber incident.
Conclusion
Cyber risks are a reality for the tourism industry. You need to take proactive steps to prevent and mitigate cyber risks. You also need to have the right insurance in place to cover you in case of a cyber incident.
Cyber protection solutions are very affordable and highly sophisticated. There are many tools and services available that can help you secure your data and systems, monitor your risk exposure, and respond to any breaches or incidents.
Don’t wait until it’s too late. Protect your tourism business from cyber risks today. Contact SATIB insurance brokers for more information on how we can help you find the best cyber insurance for your tourism business.
