5 Things You Do Every Day That Put’s Your Patron’s Data at Risk
As an owner, you work long hours at your restaurant. A jack of all trades, you are cooking meals, calculating payroll, and taking payments on any given day. You’ve done these jobs so much that you can practically do them in your sleep. But did you know that the simple things can leave you liable for putting your patron’s data at risk?
- Not shredding confidential documents
Desks often become inundated with paperwork to the point where it’s hard to see the wood underneath. In frustration, you throw everything irrelevant in the wastebasket and continue on with your day. Easy to miss, these confidential records have sensitive information like personal addresses, social security numbers, pay stubs, bank statements, and credit card numbers. Any one of these discloses private information at best and results in identity theft at worst.
Most states, including Massachusetts, have passed laws requiring companies to notify anyone who is a victim of a data breach. A thousand patrons can equal thousands of dollars spent on notification, and we haven’t even begun to talk about recovery expenses!
- Using the same password
Your kids or the name of your first pet is easy to remember, but having something you and everyone else knows about is not ideal for accessing confidential information. Most passwords should include a combination of numbers, letters, special characters, and capitalizations. Longer passwords are harder to remember than shorter ones. Store your passwords in a password protected folder on your computer or in a locked filing cabinet.
Some systems offer two-factor authentication. This adds an extra layer of protection where you have to enter a code sent to your phone in order to access private information.
- Insecure PoS Systems
A PoS (point-of-sale) system is a number one target for hackers. They horde patron information and have a reputation for weak security. Insecure remote access software and weak passwords are two of the major causes of PoS data breaches. Change your passwords regularly and never keep the factory password as the default for your PoS system.
- Mixing Personal and Business Use
In your free time, you surf social media, browse the internet, and constantly check your emails. Hackers like to use bogus emails and click bates to plant malicious software on your device. Even if what you clicked on has no relation to your business files, hackers can still gain access to sensitive information because it’s on the same device.
- Copying sensitive documents on public machines
Commercial copiers and printers have hard drives that store digital versions of documents. It might be more time consuming to use the printer in-house, but you don’t want to risk confidential data going into the wrong hands. On the flip side, old printers and scanners need to be wiped before they’re tossed.
Cyber Breaches: By the Numbers
- The average cost of a data breach is $141 per patron. Multiply by 1000 and the cost to you is $141,000
- PCI Compliance fines range anywhere from $5,000 to $50,000
- 43% of cybersecurity attacks target small businesses
- Damages by cybercrime will cost businesses $6 trillion annually by 2021
Fact: A company can be financially ruined by a cyber attack if they don’t have cyber liability insurance.
Don’t get stuck in hot water. Call Brian Kilcoyne today at 617-612-6515 or fill out free online quote request form to protect your assets for the foreseeable future.
Brian Kilcoyne marries restaurant owners with custom policies all throughout the Greater Boston Area. He prides himself in protecting your assets just as much as he takes pride in watching his son do battle on the wrestling mat and skiing with his family. No matter if he’s in front of a client or atop a mountain, Brian puts forth his best effort in everything he does.
