Have you been avoiding efforts to achieve PCI compliance?  Do you not fully understand the financial implications associated with a breach within your brand?  If that’s the case, then you need to talk with a Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) like SecureConnect.  A MSSP can establish network security perimeters within your cardholder environment in order to decrease the likelihood of a breach.  The evolving nature of security threats creates an abundance of new vulnerabilities that should concern all businesses that are required to be PCI compliant.  If there is ever a shred of doubt surrounding the circumstances that lead to a breach event, then a MSSP should be utilized to help maintain a secure network and protect cardholder data.  (more…)

Credit card fraud is on the rise and techniques used to steal cardholder data are becoming more technologically advanced and savvy.   The biggest targets for skimming devices are at pay-at-the-pump gas stations and bank ATM’s.  The skimming devices are so small and well-concealed that they make it hard for the average person to spot.

Bank Information Security put out an article in which they gave 6 useful tips to help avoid becoming a victim of credit card skimming devices.  Here is an overview of those tips to help you out-smart even the craftiest of credit card fraudsters.

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As a merchant today, I am sure you have heard some new terms like hacker, card holder data environment, breach, PCI, ASV and other words that you thought you would never encounter when you started in this business. Whether you have been in business for 20 years or just starting out, your vocabulary has been encumbered by an entirely new language. Today we will discuss about another term that should be incorporated into your everyday new “hip” vocabulary. Although only a short three letter acronym, this term is a major piece of the PCI compliance puzzle and directly tied to your ability to collect payments. SAQ, commonly pronounced “sack”, is a term that, as we evolve into the plastic payment era merchant’s should be familiar with for many reasons. SAQ stands for Self-Assessment Questionnaire, and if merchants do not fill out a SAQ the acquiring banks can levy fines, and possibly even take away the merchants ability to accept credit cards as a payment option leaving cash as the only viable form of payment. (more…)