A security breach is a concern for all sectors; none is operating via an online platform that can sit back and relax. And if you do, remember you are making yourself prone to some serious, devastating consequences.
The huge number of transactions and the widespread restaurant industry is a low-lying fruit for hackers. The intruders always look for loopholes to attack these near-the-jaw industries. The restaurant owners and managers should look for serious measures to keep your restaurant data safe and secure. To help you better understand how your data can be protected from breaches, please read on.
1. Work on the security of your Wi-Fi network
Nowadays, a common restaurant practice is giving diners the facility to use your open Wi-Fi network. This add-on comes with the threat that a hacker might be sitting with open jaws to grab your data.
These hackers might pose you with a man-in-the-middle attack or inject some malware into your system. You need to safeguard your restaurant data from such intruders. The cost of overcoming such a loss is huge. So, strong preventive policies such as using VPNs, denying unauthorized access, and strong passwords are necessary.
2. Secure your data by installing an SSL certificate
It is a common scenario where your data gets stolen through a man-in-the-middle attack, and you face data spying issues. But this can be overcome by simply encrypting the data communicated over the network.
Installing an SSL certificate is a renowned and common practice that encrypts the data that flows between the server and browser. You can easily buy an SSL certificate from reliable SSL providers like SSL2BUY and send data and information in the most secure and encrypted way.
SSL2BUY offers the cheapest price deals with DV SSL, OV SSL, and EV SSL, as well as a code signing certificate. This encrypted data can only be deciphered through a private key at the browser’s end.
3. Abide by the top-notch password policies
A strong shield of protection comes in the form of a password. This shield should be so strong that no intruder can easily break into it. This means keeping your password policies strong and using non-guessable passwords.
A good password should be at least eight to ten characters long and should be a mix of characters, symbols, and numbers. Never let your browser save your password, as when a hacker gets into your browser, he/she will easily get hold of the password. To make things further strong, you can also restrict the authority given to the user and incorporate a two-factor authentication system.
4. Create a strong audit of your third-party vendors
The need to work with third-party vendors has increased immensely with the urge to maintain the competitive edge and survive with ease with the growing market trends. But are these vendors worth it because, as a restaurant owner, you share your customer details, company policies, and other relevant data with these vendors?
Now is the time to do your homework nicely. Check the vendor’s list and ensure they are not fake vendors to get your data. Also, to ensure that your data is secure, these vendors must abide by certain robust security.
5. Don’t open suspicious email attachments and links
The last few years have seen an explicit rise in phishing emails. The restaurant employees have become prone to such attacks. These attackers send emails with links and attachments, and clicking on any such link makes you fall prey to malware and viruses.
You need to know where the risk is. Your employees should avoid such emails coming from unknown sources or having a suspicious email address. You can report such senders to your mailing authority.
6. Invest in top-notch equipment
This might sound like heavy advice to your pockets but giving an ample amount of money as a ransom is far better than investing in the right direction.
It indicates that a costly thing will surely have costly standards and security policies. So, opt for software and hardware devices of the best quality and with strong security measures.
7. Use the cloud for storage and backups
Backing up data is something that you cannot avoid. As a restaurant owner, keeping your customers’ data intact is your top priority for security reasons and to increase your revenue.
Always have hardware and software back up for all the daily work and data. Store these relevant backups on a cloud platform to be easily accessible in case of a ransomware attack. A backup taken on another hardware device can be kept away from the restaurant premises. This helps to keep it secure in case of a natural calamity.
8. Use a Firewall to separate devices
The long-known security practice is to install Firewall protection to your system. Restaurants should filter the incoming traffic from entering the system by abiding by Firewall protection.
Firewall security ensures that no malware enters and spreads through the system.
9. Educate your staff about cybersecurity
The advancement in technology has left no sector untouched. Even as a restaurant owner, you should make every staff of yours, even the kitchen staff, aware of the security breaches.
They should know which new attacks are trending in the market and what precautions they need to take to stand strong through such attacks. Your employees should know that installing a corrupt device in the restaurant’s system might cause the restaurant a serious threat.
Such small yet important steps should become a part of an employee’s daily routine.
10. Hire an IT professional to look into the security
Everyone cannot master everything. You cannot run a restaurant and also master the field of IT at the same time. It becomes tedious for many to even abide by simple security measures.
To solve such issues, you can always look for an IT professional to help you from getting stuck. Hire a professional who can regularly check your security needs and even get you out if a breach happens.
Final thoughts
As a manager or owner of a restaurant, your priority should be to keep your customers bound to your taste and have full trust in you. This trust becomes fourfold strong when you make your customer know how their data is safe and secure with you.
Abide by some of the well-known and top-notch safety policies, and make sure to buy an SSL certificate to keep data encrypted. These tips mentioned above are a small sneak peek into what you can do; apart from this, constant monitoring of the cybersecurity of the restaurant is important to keep it safe from a breach.
