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Common Myths: Mobile Data Security and Universal Commerce

June 4, 2013

As consumers demand greater access to information, offers and payment functionality—anytime, anywhere—the lines between in-store commerce, eCommerce and mobile commerce are blurring. In this emerging Universal Commerce environment, it is therefore crucial to accurately identify potential new vulnerabilities and build effective defenses to stay ahead of data thieves. This short quiz will help us explore some of the myths and realities of security in the age of Universal Commerce.

Fact or Fiction: Fraudsters will actively look to siphon account information from phones and EMV cards.

Answer: Fact AND Fiction.
For passive devices like contactless cards, this is technically possible for criminals to do by picking a consumer’s pocket and attempting to circumvent the devices’ security features. However, it is practically unlikely and has compensating controls to prevent it from being an efficient method of data theft. For active devices (e.g., smartphones, tablets) with secure elements, remote data removal and encryptions, this is unlikely, and to reach the information, it would require a device-level “hack” to penetrate the layers of security. (more…)

Reducing Fraud and Increasing Data Security Top 10 Tips to Help Keep Your Data Safe

April 23, 2013

Your customers expect you to keep their personal cardholder data safe – not an unreasonable expectation and merchants must take it seriously. Such protection requires merchants to make an ongoing commitment to human and monetary resources, including new technologies, stronger policies and continuous diligence.

*NOTE: The following list is a selection of suggestions only and not intended to be an exhaustive or comprehensive list of data security tips.

Ensure your business is PCI DSS compliant

The Payment Card Industry (PCI) establishes and enforces security requirements for it constituents.
Ongoing compliance with the PCI DSS (Data Security Standard) is the critical first step towards a successful data security program.

Review how data is used in your payments system

Before you can protect it, you must understand the ins and outs of the confidential data in your system: (more…)

Free and Easy Security Software Keeps Your Data Safe

July 27, 2012

The decisions you make about protecting your computer data, networks and PCs are critical to your company’s success and, often, its survival. So you may have some initial skepticism about the advisability of using free security software.

Be assured that a group of security products available at the Microsoft website are built on the company’s track record of world-class, secure software and technology solutions. Microsoft understands that, especially for small businesses, every dollar counts and every digital document is crucial.

So these security offerings are perfect for SMBs with limited IT budgets and smaller IT infrastructures that need to be managed. I urge you to consider checking out these solutions to gain peace-of-mind regarding your business’s digital security: (more…)

My Favorite Free Anti-Virus Program

July 9, 2012

It seems not a day goes by that I don’t get a question from a reader about what antivirus program to use. This can be a tricky question because every tech-guy you run into will have a different opinion.

Here’s mine:

The necessity to “buy” an antivirus program is slowly going away. Large companies are now adding them in to their software offerings at little or no charge. Sometimes, when you buy a new computer, you will get a “free for a limited time” installation of some program, but eventually they will start hounding you for money.

As of this week, my favorite antivirus program is Microsoft Security Essentials. For my Mac friends, check out iAntivirus.They run unobtrusively in the background and have been very good at finding these nasty digital creatures. (more…)