Ransomware – Why July and August are “hot” for hackers too

The tourism industry is on fire every summer — not just from the heat and arrivals, but also from cyberattacks. As travelers fill hotels, airports, and travel agencies, cybercriminals are taking advantage of the situation to launch ransomware, phishing, and other forms of digital fraud targeting the hospitality industry.

Tourism as a high-value target

Hotels, travel portals, airlines, booking systems, and even small tourism businesses manage huge amounts of personal and financial data. From credit card numbers to travel documents and customer profiles, this information is gold for any cybercriminal.

See also: United Kingdom – Ransomware: Ransom payments increased

The problem intensifies in the summer: July and August are periods of increased pressure, intense workload and limited IT resources. In many hotels and travel agencies, staff are seasonal, training is limited, and human error or careless use of email can open the door to serious breaches.

Ransomware: A major threat for the summer

Ransomware aransom, is the most prevalent threat to travel businesses. Hackers know that during peak season, every hour of lost bookings and operations translates into huge financial losses — and businesses are more willing to pay to get back up and running quickly.

Typical examples from recent years include:

• Hotel chains that suffered a data leak of hundreds of thousands of guests.
• Airports and airlines, where ticketing portals and confirmation emails were compromised.
• Small tourist portals, which collapsed due to targeted DDoS or bank payment breaches.

See also: Anubis ransomware acquires wiper module

Why do hackers strike in the summer?

Seasonality is not only about tourist demand, but also the strategy of attackers. The main reasons why cyberattacks increase in the summer are:

• Reduced vigilance due to staff vacations and summer relaxation.
• Increase in online transactions and reservations on platforms with often outdated CMS.
• Extensive use of public Wi-Fi, which facilitates man-in-the-middle attacks on travelers.
• Small businesses without adequate protection, which are easy targets for massive phishing campaigns and ransomware attacks.

Phishing doesn't go on vacation

In addition to ransomware, hackers often use targeted emails and SMS that pretend to be reservations, cancellations, offers, and more. In the summer, users are more prone to opening such messages on mobile or responding hastily, without verification.

According to Check Point Research, summer 2023 alone saw a 38% increase in travel-related phishing attempts, compared to the rest of the year.

Ransomware: How can the tourism industry be protected?

Cybersecurity should now be considered an operational priority, especially in the summer months. Some practical measures include:

• System and software updates with the latest patches.
• Double authentication for employees and critical accounts.
• Continuous staff training in identifying phishing and suspicious activities.
• backups-. network
• Collaboration with cybersecurity experts for monitoring and response.

See also: FBI: Play ransomware has compromised 900 organizations

Tourism is Greece’s heavy industry — and any threat to it, physical or digital, is a threat to the country’s economy and image. Cybercriminals don’t take vacations. Instead, they wait for you to take one, so they can target you and the tourism industry.

The solution is not fear, but vigilance and prevention. And this summer, along with our suitcases, let's also prepare our digital defense.