Appwapp can help customers become PCI Compliant with different payment services
In 2006, the major payment card networks, Mastercard, Visa, Discover, American Express and JCB, joined forces to establish universal security standards to strengthen the protection of sensitive customer information during credit card transactions. Also known as PCI DSS, they are therefore aimed at any service provider or merchant who accepts, stores, processes and transmits credit card data. Let’s take a look.
What is PCI Compliance?
The PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) represents the set of standards or conditions that must be met to ensure the protection of the data of customers who choose to make payments by credit card. Any company that accepts this type of transaction, whether it offers services or sells products, must comply with it, i.e. become PCI Compliant. Failure to comply with these rules increases the risk of hacking sensitive information and can be subject to severe penalties such asfines. In addition, there are 4 levels of PCI Compliance defined according to the number of transactions processed per year:
- Level 1: more than 6 million transactions in a year, all types combined
- Level 2: between 1 and 6 million transactions in a year, all types combined
- Level 3: between 20,000 and 1 million e-commerce transactions in a year
- Level 4: Less than 1 million transactions (all types) or less than 20,000 e-commerce transactions in a year.
What are the steps to take to become PCI Compliant?
Here are the steps you need to take to become PCI Compliant:
- Install and use a firewall to ensure the protection of customers’ credit card data.
- Set custom security settings, including passwords, when configuring the firewall.
- Use an effective encryption protocol to secure the transmission and storage of sensitive information on public networks.
- Use proven antivirus software and perform regular updates.
- Develop secure applications and systems.
- Limit the number of people who can access the data collected to reduce the risk of leakage.
- Ensure that each customer has a unique identifier and recommend that they change their password regularly.
- Install servers that contain customer credit card information in a highly secure environment.
- Monitor and track customer activities on the network to identify potential security breaches.
- Perform regular testing to ensure processes are still working.
What are the requirements to become PCI Compliant?
After taking the necessary security measures, a company must meet the following requirements to become PCI Compliant:
- Complete SAQ self-assessment questionnaires.
- Perform internal and external vulnerability scans every 3 months.
- Obtain a certificate of compliance.
- Be the subject of a compliance report prepared by a qualified safety assessor.
At Appwapp, we can help our customers become PCI Compliant for different payment services. Do not hesitate to contact us for more information.
