It is a foregone conclusion that if a business wants to survive in the realm of eCommerce, they must have adequate credit card processing services. And in order for that to happen, a web based business or e-tailer will have to contract with a merchant account provider. Many individuals new to eCommerce may think that once a merchant account is created and running, that credit card capture and processing will be a breeze. This is not necessarily true. There are several tips for merchant account security that business owners must familiarize themselves with in order to ensure optimal business operation.

The payment card industry, or PCI, is the term is sometimes more specifically used to refer to the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council, an independent council originally formed by American Express, Discover Financial Services, JCB, MasterCard Worldwide and Visa International in 2006 with the goal of managing the ongoing evolution of the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. PCI security standards help to ensure that credit card transaction processing runs smoothly when it comes to protecting cardholder data.

Merchants should research the standards before accepting any of the major brands of cards. As previously mentioned, having the ability to accept credit cards is almost a requirement in this day and age. Yet it astonishes how many merchants are unfamiliar with PCI and how it relates to their businesses being able to accept credit cards. Additionally, the PCI Security Standards Council has established credit card processing standards which with every merchant and acquiring bank must comply to ensure cardholder security when processing a credit card.

Build and Maintain a Secure Network

Your first line of defense against hackers, identity thieves, and other forms of online fraud is a secure network. It is imperative to install and maintain a firewall configuration to protect cardholder data. A firewall is a section of a computer system that is developed to restrict unauthorized access while at the same time enabling authorized communications and transactions. Firewalls are frequently used to prevent unauthorized Internet users from accessing private networks connected to the internet. Before a hacker can do any sort of damage to your system, they must first penetrate your firewall. Another way to sure up your network is to always avoid using vendor-supplied defaults for system passwords and other security parameters. Vendor-supplied passwords are easier to crack than a private password would be. This is because vendors themselves can be hacked, and the methods in which they generate passwords could be discovered, enabling hackers to easily penetrate the firewalls of said vendor’s clients.

Protect Cardholder Data

This standard is a given, of course, but it is imperative to protect your client’s personal data. It is a requirement that cardholder data transmissions be encrypted when traveling across open and public networks.

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