Know About PCI

Like all aspects of life internet has its own pros and cons. While it has for sure enhanced the work capacity of humans it has also given rise to many a malaise typical to it. One such problem is electronic theft.

Electronic theft is a common phenomenon in today’s age of the internet and virtual money transfer. Most merchants, retail stores and wholesale dealers engage in credit card transactions. They allow their customers to use their personal credit and debit cards to make their respective purchase. There are advantages of this process. This is time consuming. All you need to do is swipe the card. It is more convenient for the customer because they do not need to carry huge sums of money.

Unfortunately with hackers entering apparently secured systems, no credit card transaction is safe any more. Identity theft has increased manifold and criminals are always on the look out for opportunities to get personal information out from gullible customers. The PCI council has laid down number of specifications for all establishments that has option of payment through credit cards. Vulnerability scanning is one method to safeguard electronic transactions. The main of this process is to pinpoint and identify the weak points in any network and strengthen them to secure the system. However, one thing must be kept in mind that this process is not foolproof and it is not a guarantee of complete security.

To get a PCI compliance certificate is time consuming and costs money. But this investment is nothing if you compare it with the equivalent advantages that you will get in the long run. If your system is hacked and your customer’s valuable data is stolen it will become your liability. Moreover, a secured system draws customers towards itself. People like to transact when a company can ensure maximum protection against electronic theft. Keep all these things in mind and start your PCI Compliant, like vulnerability scanning.

For a detailed understanding of the process refer to the video footage of Ward Spangenberg. He is a leading name in this field. PCI stands for payment card industry. There are 12 typical standards that are required to be maintained by those establishments that deal with credit cards. But first it is important to divide these establishments into 3 categories- level 1, 2 and 3. Those companies that process less than a million credit cards in one year fall under level 3. Level 2 consists of those companies that process between one to five million. And category 1 consists of those that cover beyond five million credit cards.

All Level 1 companies require external auditors to monitor the network security. Most such companies are not even aware of their network diagrams. The first thing to do is to understand and document the network. If you are in level 2 or 3 level then it is comparatively easier for you. All you need to do is fill your self assessment questionnaire. In PCI Scanning, certified scanner checks websites, servers, ip addresses etc for potential threats and try to fill the loopholes for all round protection of the system for yourself and your clients.

About the Author:

Elton Jenkins is author of this article on PCI Compliance Requirements. Find more information about PCI Scanning here.