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U.S. Agency Nudges Hotels to Tighten Their Data Security Against Fraudsters

Sean O'Neill photo
Sean O'Neill
hotel lobby security AdobeStock_150569825 source adobe

Photo Credit: A camera at a hotel lobby. New voluntary guidance from the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) tells hotels how to secure property management systems.  Adobe

Skift Take

The U.S. Department of Commerce agency charged with forming voluntary cybersecurity standards for companies has released security guidance to hotels. The new report addresses a need for tighter security for property management systems, a core piece of software for hotels, at a time of reduced hotel staffing.

New guidance issued on Tuesday by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a standards-setting agency within the Commerce Department, offers useful lessons for how hotel leaders can secure their most critical hotel software systems. It's the first time the agency issued recommendations on how hoteliers should tighten the security of their most critical software, the property management system (or PMS). Nearly every hotel uses a property management system for daily tasks, such as checking in guests, planning room assignments, and record-keeping about guest profiles and transactions. Property management systems typically store personal details on guests and credit card data. Some government officials and advisors said these systems are particularly vulnerable to fraudsters, hackers, and

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