Connecting the World Through Technology and Hospitality
Customer Company Size
Large Corporate
Region
- America
Country
- United States
Product
- Abnormal
- Microsoft 365
Tech Stack
- AI-based detection engine
- Behavioral AI
- Machine Learning
Implementation Scale
- Enterprise-wide Deployment
Impact Metrics
- Cost Savings
- Productivity Improvements
- Customer Satisfaction
- Digital Expertise
Technology Category
- Analytics & Modeling - Machine Learning
- Application Infrastructure & Middleware - API Integration & Management
Applicable Functions
- Business Operation
- Quality Assurance
Services
- System Integration
- Training
- Cybersecurity Services
About The Customer
Choice Hotels is one of the world's largest lodging franchisors, with 7,100 hotels under various brand names, ranging from upscale to economy properties. The company is responsible for protecting the data of 50 million loyalty members and other guests. The hospitality industry, known for its welcoming and helpful culture, is a prime target for cybercriminals. Choice Hotels' CISO, Jason Stead, highlights the industry's vulnerability to social engineering attacks, which exploit the willingness of employees to provide excellent service. The company faced significant challenges in securing its email communications, which are critical for connecting its vast ecosystem of hotels and customers.
The Challenge
Choice Hotels faced significant challenges in protecting their vast email attack surface, which included data from 50 million loyalty members and other guests. The hospitality industry is highly targeted due to the valuable guest data it holds, making it a prime target for nation-state actors and financially motivated criminals. Despite deploying two secure email gateways, advanced threats continued to bypass these defenses, exploiting over 120 of the company's vendors to attempt phishing, invoice, and payroll fraud. The company needed a solution that could prevent these advanced email threats that their current security measures and personnel training couldn't catch.
The Solution
Choice Hotels integrated Abnormal with Microsoft 365 to enhance their email security. The integration process was straightforward, taking less than five minutes to set up an account. Abnormal's AI-based detection engine began delivering results soon after the proof of value (POV) meeting. The solution provided proactive alerts when leaders or employees were about to fall victim to advanced email threats, allowing the company to mitigate these attacks in real-time. Abnormal's AI-driven behavioral benchmarking detected phishing and vendor email compromise attacks, preventing potential wire fraud and other malicious activities. The solution also enabled intelligence sharing with other hotel chains, helping to uplift the entire hospitality industry.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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