If your store accepts credit card payments from customers then it will do you good to know about the PCI DSS. PCI DSS stands for payment card industry data security standard. It is basically a list of rules, norms, guidelines and controls developed to strengthen the e-commerce security system. Everyday millions of credit card transactions take place across the globe and people divulge their credit information to make their payments with the belief that their data is safe with the people with whom they are dealing. Hence it is of paramount importance that those who regularly accept credit cards from customers should follow the rules, controls and measures of PCI DSS.
There are a total of 12 requirements that you need to comply with to secure your online deals with customers. These rules are as follows: first you will have to install and maintain a firewall configuration to protect card holder data; it is advisable not to use vendor-supplied defaults for passwords and other security parameters; you must take adequate steps to protect the stored cardholder data.
it is important to install and use antivirus software in your system and make sure that you regularly update antivirus software to ensure that your antivirus is able to identify the most recent virus definitions; it is important to develop and maintain secure systems and applications; you should not allow every employee to access cardholder data and take adequate steps to ensure that only those who need to know data for business purpose have access to this sensitive data; you should assign a unique ID to each person with computer access.
You must take steps to restrict physical access to card holder data; it will do you good to test and upgrade your security systems at intervals to make sure that there is no loop hole in the system; it is advisable to draw up a policy to address the security system so that you can effectively deal with any kind of security breaches.
Compliance with PCI DSS is a strict essential if you process, store or transmit credit card information on a regular basis. If you do not comply wit these guidelines then you face the possibility of having to cough up a hefty fine. However, while complying with these norms if you still experience a security breach then you can expect exemption form being fined. Compliance with PCI DSS will ensure that your customer credit information is secure.
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