How Can Your Bay Area Restaurant Safe from Hackers?

Secure Your Bay Area Business from Hackers

If you’re ready to consider extra layers of protection available with cybersecurity best practices, contact EPC IT Solutions today for an evaluation of your current set up. We help businesses strengthen their restaurant cybersecurity.  

Restaurants often have Wi-Fi systems for customers to browse the internet and complete digital tasks. It’s important to keep the restaurant’s network separate and private and not give out the passwords under any circumstances. Customers may be disgruntled over slow speed on your guest network but giving out your credentials can send your bill skyward and jeopardize your network security. If hackers break into your network, customer data and your company information are compromised. EPC IT Solutions implements and maintains secure networks for restaurants and hospitality businesses throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

Here are four tips to maintain restaurant cybersecurity in the Bay Area.

Should you change the passwords for your different accounts?

You may use the same password for multiple online accounts for convenience. This in itself isn’t a very good idea but it’s essential to use different password for the business networks. When you use the same password, it’s much easier for unauthorized users to take up your bandwidth and sneak their way into your system. Then, all your customer and company data is available to bad actors.

Use unusual keyboard patterns and uncommon passwords that include mixed case, alphanumeric and special symbols to make your password hard to guess. If you go to different sites during the course of the workday, ensure that each has a unique login and password. Using a password manager helps you keep track of them all. Both Internet Explorer and Chrome have password managers, as do other browsers.

Why should you avoid opening suspicious emails or attachments?

Hackers use phishing attempts to trick you into opening suspicious emails and attachments. This is a common way to plant viruses and ransomware that can disrupt your business. Before you open an email, check to make sure it’s really from someone you know, especially if you aren’t expecting an email from them. Right-click on the email to see the full address of the sender. Delete or report suspicious messages. Numerous spelling errors and weird addresses are very likely to be phishing attempts.

EPC IT Solutions can run a phishing test to ensure your back office employees are following these guidelines. We can also provide training materials so that your staff helps maintain network security rather than creating new vulnerabilities.

Why you shouldn’t send unsecured data electronically?

It’s extremely important not to send sensitive data on unsecured networks. There’s a high likelihood that any bad actors tuning in may use this opportunity to

If you send private information via instant messages or emails, use a service that encrypts the message, such as What’s App. This prevents cybercriminals from getting the credit card information of your loyal diners and employees.

On the backend, encrypt any emails that have financial data that can compromise your business or employees. For example, off-the-record messaging encrypts information in your messages prior to sending them. If you need help with email security at your restaurant, EPC IT Solutions can help you find a workable solution.

How can restaurant owners secure their Wi-Fi networks?

If you own a restaurant, you probably have free Wi-Fi for your paying customers. However, there may be lots of people using it for free. Make sure to display the customer Wi-Fi credentials on an easily seen board. This saves time and helps your staff avoid getting bogged down by questions about the password.

Hide your private network so customers don’t mistakenly try to log into it and consult with an EPC IT Solutions consultant on ways to improve performance for the public and private network.

If you’re ready to consider extra layers of protection available with cybersecurity best practices, contact EPC IT Solutions today for an evaluation of your current set up. We help businesses strengthen their restaurant cybersecurity.