6 Ways Airlines and Hotels Can Keep Their Networks Secure

The bad news doesn't stop for travel and hospitality companies.

A long list of breaches have been widely reported in the past year. On the hotel front, there's Marriott/Starwood, Radisson, and the most recent Choice Hotels breach. High-profile hacks on airlines include British Airways, Air Canada, and Cathay Pacific.

David Dufour, vice president of engineering at Webroot, says airlines and hotels are prime targets because they're not typical businesses at which employees are locked into a single corporate location.

"The employees at airlines and hotels handle a lot private information, and there's a lot of turnover in those industries," Dufour says. "People don't spend long careers at the front desk of a hotel."

Airlines and hotels also have branch offices in hundreds of cities around the world, so the sheer volume of their operations creates a high degree of exposure, Dufour adds.

"As a frequent traveler, when I go into an airport lounge, I want them to have all my information on hand, but from a security perspective these situations are ripe with opportunity," Dufour says. "As a customer, I expect the service, but the reality is that potentially every open area is a vulnerability."

The struggle to achieve that balance between customer convenience and security continues for travel and hospitality companies. Here are six tips they can follow to help lock down privacy and security.