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Submitted by: Bill Hickey
NCVA Listmaster

NRT-0626 Majority of hotels fail to apply best practices to secure their networks:

A newly released study shows that "a substantial majority of hotels are not using all the possible tools to maintain their network's security," according to an online trade journal. The study was the result of a direct analysis of the networks available to guests in 46 hotels and was supplemented by a survey of 147 US hotels. The study notes that because "many business travelers connect remotely to continue working while on the road, the potential for theft of corporate information exists." According to the study, some hotels still rely on relatively rudimentary hub technology for their networks, which are particularly subject to hacking. "Others have upgraded to more secure switches or routers and encrypted Wi‑Fi connections, but that still does not prevent malicious users from intercepting guests' transmissions," the study found.

The study cites a "best practice" example of a hotel in Dallas where the property "set up each node on its network as a virtual local area network, or VLAN. By using these VLANs, the hotel had separated each guest's computer in a way that should protect against stolen data. It also gives the hotel greater control over the guest side of the network."

Other Internet security measures hotel operators can take with relative ease and low costs include urging guests to ask the correct name of the hotspot connection to help ensure a false connection is not logged into; and recommending that guests disable a laptop's automatic feature that connects to the "nearest" hotspot.

[www.hoteliers.com 21Sep08]

Last Modified: Friday, 10-Oct-2008 13:01:32 EDT