San Diego’s vibrant tourism industry is a cornerstone of the local economy as well as a high-visibility showcase for the regional’s identity as a Cyber Center of Excellence.
Over 33 million tourists per year visit San Diego, many of them visiting for business and staying in local hotels. Public Wi-Fi hotspots, including those of hotels and convention centers, are primary attack targets for cyber predators. Most of these hotel hotspots have zero cybersecurity, and the hotels themselves do not have the resources to train and maintain a security team to secure their systems. The result is that hotels, convention centers and other business venues offer the Wi-Fi that their customers demand, but are not able to assure their customers, or themselves, that their offerings meet basic security standards.
The CCOE is partnering with the San Diego Convention Center and hotel chains to offer a certification process for their public Wi-Fi services. It draws on the standards of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the model of the Department of Defense Risk Management Framework (RMF). This certification will balance the requirements of the need to offer a public Wi-Fi service with the need to ensure a basic level of security for customers.
Through this certification process, the CCOE will help San Diego and California establish themselves as the worldwide leaders in guarding business travelers’ and tourists’ personal information when they visit.
Cyber Center of Excellence is a San Diego-based nonprofit dedicated to growing the regional cyber economy and creating a more secure digital community for all.
