CISA Briefs World Travel Organization Expedia with Advice on Security

With the holiday travel season approaching and CISA just having launched its year-round cyber information campaign Secure Our World, it seemed the perfect opportunity to have Region 10 advisors present to a global audience of travel professionals.

Bringing expertise from the cybersecurity and protective security worlds, three of CISA Region 10’s advisors presented to a worldwide audience recently at the Expedia Group in Seattle. 

With the CISA presentation being internally broadcast to scores of offices across the globe with tens of thousands of employees, Washington State Protective Security Advisors, Jana Spring and Noe Cavazos and Washington State Cybersecurity Advisor Alex Salazar shared vital information about travel using both physical and cybersecurity tactics to stay safe.

Expedia, which is an online travel agency based in Seattle, WA, reached out to CISA because they wanted to hear security advice from experts in the field and how to enhance personal and cyber safety, they said. They also asked CISA to discuss the importance of protecting data and devices while traveling.

“This presentation is important for CISA because Expedia is a not only a national, but a world leader in online travel,” said Cybersecurity Advisor Salazar. “They have to safeguard thousands of traveler information profiles and by presenting our cyber resilience goals for Cybersecurity Awareness Month, CISA was able to amplify this message globally.”

Protective Advisor Cavazos started by detailing personal security measures such as being aware of your surroundings and staying in well-lit, public areas. Advisor Salazar then shared cybersecurity tips focusing on CISA’s recent year-round campaign, Secure Our World and the four most important steps to staying cyber safe; Use Strong Passwords, Enable MFA, Recognize and Report Phishing, and Update Software.

The presentation concluded with Protective Security Advisor Spring detailing the convergence of cyber of protective security. She shared the importance of aligning the physical and cyber protection strategies to bring a more robust approach to the overall protection of a company. She also emphasized that many attacks occur in both spaces and understanding how the two relate will only enhance a company’s resiliency.

“It was important their staff understand how the two work together in staying safe as you travel during the upcoming holiday season,” said Spring.

CISA Region 10 officials anticipate future opportunities to assist Expedia and other regional businesses in improving their respective cybersecurity and protective security footprints.

“Any time you can present to a Fortune 500 company with a rather large international component you want to take that opportunity to share your most vital information,” added Advisor Cavazos. “We look forward to further developing our relationship with Expedia Group.”