Security in an Online Reservation System
A secure online reservation system is the most critical and sought-after feature, by reservation software shoppers. It is crucial to have a security system that protects both the back-end data of agents, the sensitive data of customers and maintains the integrity of the system.
- Security keys: A secure booking system protects your data against eavesdropping, corruption, masquerading, and denial of service attacks by using a combination of Public Key Cryptography, Private Key Cryptography, and Hash Function. In Private Key Cryptography, AES is selected as a private key to provide confidentiality for secret messages. Public Key Cryptography uses Elliptic Curve Cryptography to ensure authentication, integrity, and non-repudiation service. Hash function uses SHA-256 in combination with Elliptical Curve Digital Signal to ensure the integrity of messages. There haven’t been any major attacks reported against the SHA-256 hash function as of now.
- Bank-level security: Industry-standard 256-bit wild card SSL booking page protects sensitive customer data. An SSL certificate badge lets customers know that their transaction information will be secure thereby increasing their chances of performing transactions on your website.
- Hacker safe: Daily scans to clean malware using AntiVirus software makes sure your systems are secure and you are protected against potentially dangerous attacks. No system or software is perfect but having AntiVirus software adds a strong layer of security to your system.
- Built-in tokenization: Tokenization is the latest feature in an online reservation system. It ensures that card data is never stored in a manner that it can be retrieved as the result of a breach or compromise. In the situation where card data needs to be saved, it is protected using encryption.
- PCI DSS compliance: It is important to protect user’s sensitive data like credit card details. A PCI DSS compliant system ensures all the standards and security measures are met. Routine PCI DSS scans check for vulnerabilities and common security holes in server configurations and ensure they meet minimum requirements. If you are doing less than 6,000,000 transactions per year, both the scan and report can be completed through an online service provider. If you are doing more than 6,000,000 transactions per year, you will require a QSA (Qualified Security Analyst) to do an on-site audit of both your facilities and your server hosting environment.
To be compliant, you need to:
- Ensure that your website is properly secured.
- Protect sensitive cardholder information by encrypting it.
- Have up-to-date antivirus software on all your systems.
- Have administrative accounts for the management people in your business to your booking solution.
- Make credit card information accessible only on a need-to-know basis.
- Have proper activity and security logging in your online reservation system.
- Regularly test secure systems to make sure they are working and compliant.
- Maintain a security policy that addresses your security.
- Have pages that are members only, should be hidden from the public, setting exclusiveness.
