Over the last couple of months, PCI Compliance has been a hot topic in the industry, even leading to a petition. So, what’s the lowdown, and why is it so important?
Essentially, PCI Compliance, or Payment Card Industry Compliance, is a set of security standards that ensure customer credit card data is secure. This is especially important when pretty much every time you turn around; there’s some new data breach hitting the news, whether that’s a whole bunch of social security numbers getting leaked or the more common phone numbers, emails, and addresses getting taken by bad actors.
While becoming PCI Compliant might seem like a big task, you’re probably already doing a lot of it. However, how much you do depends on the level of business transactions you do a year. They are as follows:
How can you become PCI Compliant yourself? It’s pretty easy and not as daunting as it seems. There are a ton of websites out there to help you out, like the PCI Security Standards Council. They provide training on PCI Compliance, from simple things like awareness to investigator training and even security awareness training when working from home.
But, to give you a general idea of what 13 steps are required to make sure you’re up to standard, we’ve broken them down for you below:
Track and monitor who can access networks and cardholder data. Make sure you know who is accessing this sensitive information at all times, and keep a log of their user IDs and times they accessed the information.
Bad actors are constantly looking for and coming up with new ways to access information. Testing your systems and processes for vulnerabilities ensures nothing can get in.
Using things like 2-factor authentication can help strengthen your stored cardholder data from possible leaks.
Firewalls are pretty much what they sound like! Just in the virtual world! They make sure to stop malware and viruses from accessing data, just like firewalls stop zombies.
Changing your vendor-supplied default passwords and security settings makes it harder for bad actors to grab important info just in case of a data leak elsewhere.
Plus, good antivirus software can help make your computer run faster!
Nothing can fall through the cracks if you’ve got a system and a process!
If you’re using a public or open network, ensure the information is encrypted so bad actors lurking on those networks can’t access that data freely.
Ensuring that only certain people within your company can access cardholder data limits the risk of leaks.
And don’t forget to have a different password for everything!
If you have physical cardholder data like on order forms or receipts, filing them in a locked, secure area will keep bad-faith employees or thieves from accessing data.
Keeping a close eye on those who access sensitive information will help prevent problems.
Policy is the best way to keep everything secure and safe! Keep it updated yearly and ensure your employees know it to keep things flowing smoothly, and prevent leaks.
For more information or to learn more about the requirements and benefits of PCI compliance, visit the PCI Security Standards Council site here.
