Create a cross-functional team to protect against evolving cyber threats
As restaurants adopt more technologies to boost efficiency and monitor how a host of equipment across their operation is functioning, they also, unfortunately, open new portals to cyber threat actors. Cyber attacks are becoming increasingly common for restaurant brands. As a result, being able to manage your cyber risk, internally and across your supply chain, is now a task for not just the IT department, but for every department across your business.
That can be an intimidating task at a time when cyber risk is evolving faster than the controls available to manage it. But in a recent webinar from Food Safety Magazine, Stuart Wright, head of governance, risk and compliance for the cybersecurity services firm Nettitude, put it this way: Start not with the technology you think you may need, but with the asset you are trying to protect. Your guest data, your food safety record, your supplier relationships – these business assets are best understood by people across different departments of your organization. Developing a cross-functional team, including but not limited to IT, can help you get the context you need to protect your assets before, during and after a cyber breach.
Cyber risk is a moving target and fortifying your protections requires regularly testing your operation’s ability to manage evolving threats. Each time you upgrade your systems, change suppliers, experience an environmental threat, alter other key aspects of how you conduct business, or learn about a competitor who has experienced a breach, test your potential business impacts and develop a dynamic playbook to guide your response. These tests can help your overall business recognize the warning signs of a cyber breach, understand the potential impacts of an attack, and identify new vulnerabilities to protect.
That can be an intimidating task at a time when cyber risk is evolving faster than the controls available to manage it. But in a recent webinar from Food Safety Magazine, Stuart Wright, head of governance, risk and compliance for the cybersecurity services firm Nettitude, put it this way: Start not with the technology you think you may need, but with the asset you are trying to protect. Your guest data, your food safety record, your supplier relationships – these business assets are best understood by people across different departments of your organization. Developing a cross-functional team, including but not limited to IT, can help you get the context you need to protect your assets before, during and after a cyber breach.
Cyber risk is a moving target and fortifying your protections requires regularly testing your operation’s ability to manage evolving threats. Each time you upgrade your systems, change suppliers, experience an environmental threat, alter other key aspects of how you conduct business, or learn about a competitor who has experienced a breach, test your potential business impacts and develop a dynamic playbook to guide your response. These tests can help your overall business recognize the warning signs of a cyber breach, understand the potential impacts of an attack, and identify new vulnerabilities to protect.
New tech? Adapt your risk management accordingly.
As businesses of all stripes have adopted new technology to support operations in the past few years, they have had to tighten their cyber risk management practices. Even insurers who sell cyber insurance are managing their own risk by holding their policyholders to higher standards when it comes to their cyber risk management.
Restaurants are no exception – and while the hospitality sector tends to rank lower on the list of attractive cyber targets as compared to other sectors, a cyber attack can still interrupt business, harm a restaurant’s reputation and cause financial damage. As restaurants have adopted new technology for everything from guest payment to inventory management, their shift to digitization has only elevated their cyber risks.
Threat actors seek out vulnerability – often in the form of human error. Restaurants, with an ever-shifting employee base, can provide many windows of opportunity for cyber breaches. As your operation adopts new technology, partner with your IT and HR leaders to ensure you limit the number of people with access to sensitive information, that you can readily identify who has access and when, and that those employees receive ongoing training on minimizing risks. Having a non-punitive culture can also help ensure your team feels comfortable bringing a breach or suspicious-looking activity to the attention of a supervisor and, in effect, limits damage to the business.
Restaurants are no exception – and while the hospitality sector tends to rank lower on the list of attractive cyber targets as compared to other sectors, a cyber attack can still interrupt business, harm a restaurant’s reputation and cause financial damage. As restaurants have adopted new technology for everything from guest payment to inventory management, their shift to digitization has only elevated their cyber risks.
Threat actors seek out vulnerability – often in the form of human error. Restaurants, with an ever-shifting employee base, can provide many windows of opportunity for cyber breaches. As your operation adopts new technology, partner with your IT and HR leaders to ensure you limit the number of people with access to sensitive information, that you can readily identify who has access and when, and that those employees receive ongoing training on minimizing risks. Having a non-punitive culture can also help ensure your team feels comfortable bringing a breach or suspicious-looking activity to the attention of a supervisor and, in effect, limits damage to the business.