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A new study by NordPass has revealed how far the weak and predictable passwords can be particularly within the hospitality industry.
According to research, hotels, restaurants and other similar companies cannot ensure critical systems such as reserve platforms, POS systems and even personnel accounts when opting for weak passwords that could put data on data and commercial operations at risk.
NordPass also realized that many companies are reusing similar or outdated passwords in all systems, which means that if a hacker can get access to a platform, it can move laterally within the business.
Hospitality companies are really garbage in passwords
Five password categories stood out as common options for companies in this industry, including simple numerical sequences (123456789), general terms (reservations 2021!), Terms related to the brand (Ramada@123), easy patterns to obtain (p@ssw0rd) and the developer or terms related to the role (developer2). The five given examples are not simply examples: they appear in the 20 most commonly used NordPass passwords in hospitality.
“In hotels and restaurants, guests expect excellent service, not for their personal data to be in the menu,” said commercial products Karolis Arbaciauskas. “The presence of multiple variants of ‘reserves’ and terms related to the brand suggests that many companies still lack clear password hygiene policies,” reads the notice.
The company, known for its password administrator, shared four tips, starting with the most obvious, to avoid predictable passwords that can be easily guess or extract through social engineering, which remains the most common entry method for attackers.
Companies must also implement multifactor authentication for greater protection, store their credentials in password administrators and build a culture aware of security with frequent and comprehensive training.
NordPass has three separate plans focused on the business: equipment, businesses and companies, which offer characteristics such as SSO, sharing insurance and compliance functions.
