This document discusses managing and securing information systems in hospitality organizations. It covers the importance of computers, identifying mission critical systems like reservation and POS systems, maintaining these systems, common causes of system failure, and strategies for disaster recovery and business continuity planning. It also discusses security challenges like viruses, spyware, and data encryption. PCI compliance for payment card data is explained.

1. Managing andSecuring theInformation SystemChapter 5

2. “Over 60% of the people who have a security breach, have a breach on systems that they aren't actively managing. If we would just take the time to understand where our critical information is, and then manage those systems properly, the risk reduction would be enormous.”Dorian Cougias, Network Frontiers

3. Computer DependenceHow important are computers to hospitality organizations? Turn the computer system off during a rush period and observe the consequences.Keeping computer downtime to a minimum in guest related areas (e.g., reservations and front desk) is critical.

4. Mission-Critical SystemsMission-critical systems are systems that whose reliable performance is crucial to the successful performance of the organization in which it is used.For a hotel, mission critical systems are central reservation system (CRS) and property management system (PMS). For a restaurant, mission critical system is Point of Sale system (POS).

5. Maintaining the SystemsTo make sure that these systems are up and running, there needs to be a systematic approach to maintain them.Enterprise LevelUnit level (restaurant or hotel)User level (remote access- guest or staff)

6. All businesses are subject to business disruptionsThe reasons may be different such as FireFloodEarthquakesVandalismStealingHuman errorUtility disruptions (such as power outages)Malicious threats from outsiders or misuse of systems.

7. Disaster Contingency RecoveryPlanAlthough a DCRP is vital, it is primarily a reactive approach (i.e., a corrective control) and not a comprehensive plan for risk management.In contrast, a business continuity plan (BCP) seeks to eliminate or reduce the impact of a disaster condition before the condition occurs.

8. Business Continuity PlanBusiness Continuity Planning (BCP) is an interdisciplinary concept used to create and validate a practiced logistical plan for how an organization will recover and restore partially or completely interrupted critical function(s) within a predetermined time after a disaster or extended disruption.

9. Common Causes of System FailureOperator ErrorHardware FailurePower ProblemsSoftware BugSystem OverloadVirusSpywareApple AdKeylogger Hardware

10. Operator ErrorVarious operator errors can cause system failure Common errors include improper handling of lengthy processing routines (e.g., end-of-day audit), database maintenance (e.g., changing and deleting data), and hardware (e.g., moving a hard disk without parking the read/write head). Providing thorough training and establishing careful procedures reduce operator mistakes

11. Hardware Failure

12. Hardware FailureFive basic measures reduce hardware malfunctions:Keep the temperature and relative humidity at the appropriate levelsKeep equipment cleanKeep magnets away from computersKeep Water and corrosive agents away from computersEstablish a preventative maintenance program

13. Fault-TolerantA fault-tolerant computer is equipped with a backup system enabling it to function despite the failure of certain internal hardware components such as a hard drive or disk controller card.

14. Storage Area NetworkA storage area network (SAN) is an architecture to attach remote computer storage devices such as disk arrays to servers in such a way that, to the operating system, the devices appear as locally attached

15. Redundant Array of Independent Disks

16. Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID)

17. Internet Security Challenges

18. Power ProblemsPower line trouble causes 70 percent of hardware and software failures. Symptoms include burned components, garbled transactions, memory loss, corrupted data, lost data, and unexplained intermittent problems.

19. Power ProblemsTo avoid power disturbances, the following measures should be implemented.Surge protectionProper wiring and groundingUninterruptible Power Supply (UPS)

20. UPSA user level surge protection

21. Software BugA bug is a logic error in the program preventing it from working properlyFor example, one hospitality accounting program aborts if the user forgets to turn on the printer before printing a financial statement

22. System OverloadPlacing too many demands on a computer can greatly diminish its performance and may cause system failure.Causes of system overloads include:Insufficient Central Processing Unit (CPU) Clock Speed.Inadequate Random Access Memory (RAM)Slow Mechanical ComponentsFile FragmentationInadequate Disk Storage

23. External hard drive that can be connected to computer by USB or Firewire

24. VirusVirus spreads by copying itself from one program to the next, changing or destroying each program that it infects without the user knowing it.The carrier of a virus is a program that appears legitimate called a TROJAN HORSE

25. What to do in a Virus AttackIsolate and disconnectRemove the virusRestore your dataReinstall programsScan for virusesRestore filesDocument the processPrevent future infectionLearn from your mistakes

26. Restaurant Network SecurityA computer security study was conducted among restaurant managers 24 % of the restaurant networks had a computer network attack within the last 12 months. On average, the restaurants received 1-5 network attacks within the last 12 months

27. Attack TypesVirus Attack (71.4%)Insider Abuse of Net Access (57.1%) Laptop Theft (42.9%)Spoofing (39.3%) (using someone else's resources for spam or illegal activity).

29. Protection from AttacksThe most used protection tool is anti-virus software (86.2%), hardware firewall (79.3%) and physical security (75.9%).The least used network security tools are honeypots (7.7%) and biometrics (14.8%).

30. SpywareSpyware is computer software that is installed secretly on a computer to intercept or take partial control over the user's interaction with the computer, without the user's informed consent

31. Backup StrategiesBackup FrequencyBackup MethodRotation of Secondary Storage MediaHardcopy

32. Computer SecuritySecurity violation examples include:Salespeople copying the hotel client list onto a USB drive and selling it to a competitorFront-desk clerks receiving cash to settle guest folios, but instead pocketing the cash and transferring the outstanding balance to a bogus city ledger account or “black hole” account.Employees gaining access to payroll records and changing wage rates.Servers voiding entree items off guest checks after collecting cash.

33. Security ProblemsThe keyboardUsing obvious passwordsNot regularly changing passwordsHackersCommunication LineInternetPhysical Access

34. Most Common Passwords

35. EncryptionIn the case of transmitting data over the Internet protocol, using a secure, encrypted way of communication is also a key to secure data transmission. Computer encryption is based on the science of cryptography, which has been used throughout history.Vidoe: Encryption of Credit Card Data

36. Encryption

39. PhishingPhishing is a technique used by strangers to "fish" for information about you, information that you would not normally disclose to a stranger, such as your bank account number, PIN, and other personal identifiers such as your National Insurance number. These messages often contain company/bank logos that look legitimate and use flowery or legalistic language about improving security by confirming your identity details.

40. Phishingexample

41. IT ComplianceKeeping IT systems in line with local, state, national and international level laws, regulations, standards, and policies.The Payment Card Industry Council is a consortium of credit card issuing brands: Visa, Incorporated; American Express, MasterCard Worldwide, Discover Financial Services and JCB International

42. PCI DSSPCI Council have formed this consortium to improve the security of the global payment system by protecting consumers, merchants and banks from frauds and hacks. The consortium has created a set of Data Security Standards governing the protection of all sensitive cardholder data stored electronically or on paper.Video: PCI DSS ExplainedWebsite: PCI DSS

44. PCI DSSRequirement 1: Install and maintain a firewall configuration to protect cardholder dataRequirement 2: Do not use vendor-supplied defaults for system passwords and other security parametersRequirement 3: Protect stored cardholder dataRequirement 4: Encrypt transmission of cardholder data across open, public networks

45. PCI DSSRequirement 5: Use and regularly update anti-virus softwareRequirement 6: Develop and maintain secure systems and applicationsRequirement 7: Restrict access to cardholder data by business need to-knowRequirement 8: Assign a unique ID to each person with computer access

46. PCI DSSRequirement 9: Restrict physical access to cardholder data.Requirement 10: Track and monitor all access to network resources and cardholder dataRequirement 11: Regularly test security systems and processesRequirement 12: Maintain a policy that addresses information security