Protecting Your Patrons and Profits: The Importance of MFA in Restaurant Operations

Cyberattacks aren't limited to corporate offices. Restaurants are increasingly targeted for data breaches, with significant financial and reputational consequences. Implementing Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is a vital step in bolstering your restaurant's cybersecurity posture, ensuring only authorized personnel access sensitive data and critical infrastructure.

With 97 percent of top U.S. retailers experiencing third-party data breaches in the past year and the average breach costing $3.48 million, retail and hospitality remain prime targets for cyberattacks.

There are many ways in which restaurant business owners can improve their security posture in light of unauthorized intrusion and data stealth. One step in the right direction, for example, is to set up multi-factor authentication (MFA), which crucially ensures that only authorized personnel can access sensitive data and infrastructure.

Why MFA is Essential for Restaurants

Restaurant systems are at high risk of hacking and data theft due to a number of common exploitable weaknesses, such as:

• Poor password hygiene (e.g., easily-guessed phrases)
• Inappropriate security standards (e.g., staff sharing data)
• Unbalanced access control (e.g., unclear user permissions, irregular password auditing)
• Reliance on default settings (e.g., admin or router logins remaining the factory standard)
• Irregular software updates (which allow hackers to exploit unpatched vulnerabilities)
• Poorly-configured firewalls 
• Insider threats (e.g., stealing and selling passwords out of revenge or monetary gain)

Whether through public-facing web apps or POS systems, restaurant owners without a clear cybersecurity strategy risk leaking private customer data and causing reputational damage.

The rise of AI phishing attacks, deepfakes, social engineering, and cashless system ransomware continues to put restaurants on high alert for data and financial loss. This potential loss is considerable – the average cost of a restaurant data breach is around $3.3 million, according to IBM.

On top of this, restaurants are compelled to abide by regulations such as the PCI DSS, which insists upon the encryption and safe storage of consumer card data.

With MFA, restaurant owners can ensure the data they hold and process is safely locked away behind multiple access demands. 

What’s more, Microsoft’s research has found that 99.9 percent of all breached accounts don’t have MFA set up – it’s an extra lock on your data that genuinely prevents hackers from causing havoc.

In conjunction with thorough preventive measures such as vulnerability scanning and penetration testing, operators are already taking more effective steps to avoiding data leakage.

How Multi-Factor Authentication Works

MFA requires users to provide more than one significant form of proof to access sensitive data. For instance, single-factor authentication, or SFA, might be a simple password.

MFA adds extra layers to this proof so that there is zero doubt that the user trying to access data is verified and authorized. Specifically, it adds physical possessive proof, such as having access to a certain device, and inherent proof, such as biometrics.

Therefore, a typical MFA setup might include several checks for:

• Passwords or PINs
• Security answers to predetermined questions
• Authentication via registered email or SMS via registered phone numbers
• Barcode or card scans
• Facial recognition, voice ID, or fingerprints

To determine right of access via a combination of the above, an MFA setup might require users to install certain apps or access registered phone numbers to find codes. For example, services such as PayPal allow users to access their accounts with Google Authenticator.

Similarly, some banking apps use both Face ID biometrics and pop-up notifications to prompt authorization of access. That way, if access is requested, only those with authorization can confirm the login.

Adding extra layers to restaurant security ensures that data is doubly and triply secured and that only people with authorized access can read and edit it. This goes a long way to help prevent fraud and to offset bad actors who might be trying to attack systems internally.

Implementing Multi-Factor Authentication in Restaurant Operations

Not all restaurant systems will be the same – however, here is a general guide you can follow to set up and manage MFA at your business.

1. Clearly identify data that needs to be protected. Does your POS system, online ordering platform, or accounting software hold sensitive data? These are key areas to protect with MFA.
2. Consider which solution fits your business best. Does your staff have regular access to mobile devices? Consider using authentication apps, biometric scanning, and SMS codes. Alternatively, for physical security, consider setting up a barcode scanning system so that staff can scan IDs.
3. Get advice on how to integrate MFA into your system. While you can set up MFA freely with several services online, it’s safer to ask for help from a cybersecurity expert. They can help you find and install an effective MFA solution that fits your current data protection setup that’s also easy for your team to manage.
4. Activate MFA as per installers’ instructions. Following on from the above, ask for help setting up and managing your MFA. Don’t blindly walk into it!
5. Train the team and roll out. Always ensure your staff knows how to use MFA and that they have individual access to private data. Roll out the protection and update apps and firmware regularly. It’s also wise to consult with cyber security experts regularly to ensure your setup is protecting your data effectively.

Benefits of Implementing MFA

Implementing MFA as part of restaurant data protection is highly effective because it:

• Immediately adds additional layers to your basic login protection
• Reduces the risk of fraud both inside and outside the business
• Helps to keep businesses compliant with various standards and regulators
• Helps to build and improve customer trust (and therefore revenue)
• Supports better employee accountability
• Enhances security when working remotely, and using remote communication tools
• Gives extra peace of mind to operators who are worried about reputation and financial loss

In today's evolving threat landscape, even restaurants must prioritize robust access controls and data protection. Multi-Factor Authentication offers a straightforward yet powerful method to significantly enhance the security of your restaurant's platforms and POS systems. With the support of a knowledgeable cybersecurity team, implementing and maintaining MFA can provide lasting protection for your business and your customers.