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Travel agencies: An easy target for cyberattacks due to weak security systems

According to the document called Baseline Cyber Security Controls for Small and Medium Organizations prepared by the Canadian Center for Cyber Security, organizations should follow the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) for all Point-of-Sale (PoS) terminals and financial systems.

ACTA announces a renewed partnership with ACCEL PCI to help Canadian travel agencies strengthen their security system and fight cybercrime.

101 Security Tip for Travel Agencies
According to the document called Baseline Cyber Security Controls for Small and Medium Organizations prepared by the Canadian Center for Cyber Security,organizations should follow the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) for all Point-of-Sale (PoS) terminals and financial systems.

“Despite the amount of personal data handled by Travel Agencies – credit cards, of course, but also customer information, loyalty cards, sometime passport numbers, addresses, names, birthdays, travel plans and so on – it is still common to see inadequate security measures to protect the personal information of customers” says Christian Richard, President of ACCEL PCI, a user-friendly portal that eases PCI DSS compliance and a Qualified Security Assessor (QSA) for Visa and Mastercard.

Protect your Travel Agency’s Reputation
It is important that Canadian Travel Agencies invest in information security tools such as PCI DSS compliance as recommended by the Canadian Center for Cybersecurity. When doing so, Travel Agencies put in place proper procedures and employee training to protect the privacy and the security of their customer’s personal data and keep their business reputation safe. Indeed, since November 2018, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) requires that organizations report breaches to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) of Canada.

“ACTA recognizes that Travel Agencies need resources to fight cyberattacks – resources that are within reach both financially and in terms of information technology security literary. ACCEL PCI’s online platform was developed with small and medium sized businesses in mind,” states Heather Craig-Peddie, VP Advocacy and Member Relations ACTA. “ACCEL PCI is also backed by Ubitrak, a Canadian company specializing in the travel industry and recommended by IATA to provide PCI DSS compliance services to the travel industry worldwide,” concludes Craig-Peddie.

 

1) https://www.cyber.gc.ca/en/cyber-security-small-and-medium-organizations

Co-Founder & Chief Editor - TravelDailyNews Media Network | Website | + Posts

Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.

She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.

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