What Every Merchant Should Know by Payex

How Secure is your Business?

May 18th, 2007

Credit card security breaches are all over the news these days. Merchants like you have a greater responsibility than ever before to protect your customers. It’s sad to say, but you can’t trust even your own employees with cardholder information anymore. Here’s what you need to do to keep your customers and your business safe:

• Restrict access to cardholder information including: receipts, card numbers, and other sensitive data to only those in your company who need to know.
• Use password protection for information stored electronically on a computer.
• Encrypt all data with at least a 128-bit encryption.
• Make sure all paper receipts and transactions are securely stored for 3 years and then disposed of properly.
• Contact software manufacturer to make sure they have the most current versions and updates that are CISP compliant.
• Use a firewall for all computers with internet access and verify that all security patches are current.
  

These simple steps will protect your business from substantial fines and penalties and will keep you out of the headlines! With the rate that credit card information is stolen these days, we’ve all got to do our part to protect the customers who keep us in business.

Entry Filed under: Advice,Rules and Regulations