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Published on 2024-08-23
The arrival of summer means the influx of millions of tourists to Spain. This, in turn, means that public administration services face higher demand, and sectors such as transportation and hospitality bear much of the workload. Therefore, amid a wave of cyberattacks, the security and maintenance of these sectors is a major concern.
According to reports from Incibe (National Institute of Cybersecurity) analyzed by the tech company Pandora FMS, attacks on strategic sectors have decreased significantly over the past year, dropping to below 240 from more than 500 the previous year. However, a decrease in numbers does not mean a decrease in severity: the attacks that do occur are increasingly sophisticated and have more serious consequences for those affected. And summer is a time of high activity for such criminals.
“It is a time when there is less staff and less control. And if companies or administrations do not incorporate the right monitoring systems, or have a lot of attentive staff or are an easy target,” explains Sancho Lerena, CEO of Pandora FMS and expert in IT management and security. He also emphasizes several sectors: public administrations, hospitality, and transportation.
The transportation sector, in fact, is one of the strategic sectors most targeted by cyberattacks, with 25%. “Spain is a country with significant domestic tourism, and campaigns like Verano Joven or various discounts have further increased transportation activity. It’s a very tempting sector for criminals because they have access to a lot of data, and their attack would have consequences that reach users and create a stir,” the expert details.
The hospitality sector is similarly in the crosshairs. Especially considering it often lacks adequate security systems. “Accommodation services usually have security measures, but the problem is that they don’t have all the necessary ones,” he explains.
Not far from this, data analyzed by the company through Ontsi reports shows that although 96% of these businesses have some measure, only 2.3% have them all. Necessary measures include data encryption, multi-factor authentication, and advanced intrusion detection systems. Without these, hotels are exposed to unauthorized access and theft of sensitive information. They move from being among the top four most secure to the second to last, just ahead of construction, which is one of the least advanced sectors in digitalization and security.
Finally, the sector highlights the importance of protecting public administrations. Especially in the development of Smart Cities and Smart Beaches, which requires digitization of administrations and constant data monitoring. “It’s important to remember that many municipalities have suffered from this type of attack, so it’s crucial to avoid any risk of collapse at a time when the population multiplies due to tourism,” Lerena emphasizes.
Additionally, it’s important to consider that cyberattacks affect not only businesses but also tourists, who may face risks such as personal data theft when connecting to unsecured Wi-Fi networks in hotels or transportation hubs.
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