Here are 5 Blogs to Help You Survive PCI DSS and Prevent Security Breaches This Year. We cover formjacking, penetration tests, PCI DSS checklists, PCI DSS audits, as well as preparing for incident response.
We put this as our top blog because formjacking, also known as JavaScript Skimming or Magecart–while not widely known or understood–is a major threat to the payments industry. In this type of attack, hackers take advantage of a vulnerability in the shopping cart page, or inject a vulnerability directly into the payment environment. Hackers then use this vulnerability to siphon credit card information from the payment fields and send them to malicious websites.
JavaScript skimming is extremely difficult to detect and can go on for a long period of time. This type of attack is done in such a way that it is able to evade traditional security elements–like file integrity monitoring (FIM), vulnerability scanning, and antivirus–that businesses likely already have in place.
Top takeaway from this blog post: Merchants should educate themselves and talk to their banks about JavaScript Skimming.
No matter where you are in your PCI compliance journey, you'll need a reference to help organize your thoughts and get headed in the right direction. We hope this article will serve as your “jumping off point” as you start to address the requirements of the PCI DSS.
Before diving into the PCI requirements, you will want to start by determining which SAQ applies to your business. While most requirements will stay the same, there are some differences in the work you’ll need to do based on your SAQ.
Top takeaway from this post: Keep a handy PCI requirement reference nearby to stay on track with PCI compliance and prevent a data breach. Download our PCI DSS compliance overview here.
Penetration Testing is an important aspect of PCI DSS compliance. Also known as “ethical hacking,” penetration testing is an in-depth process performed by a professional that
The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) Requirement 11.3 requires both an internal and external penetration test, so most companies regularly receive penetration tests to comply with that requirement. But penetration testing isn’t limited to the PCI DSS. Any company can request a penetration test whenever they wish to measure their business security.
The time it takes to conduct a pen test varies based on the size of a company’s network, the complexity of that network, and the individual penetration test staff members assigned. A small environment can be done in a few days, but a large environment can take several weeks.
Top takeaway from this blog post: Professional penetration testing is not quick and easy, and businesses should avoid those who claim it is.
This post includes a downloadable PDF checklist with tips from SecurityMetrics’ certified Qualified Security Assessors (QSAs) to help your next audit go more smoothly.
QSAs at companies like SecurityMetrics to validate a merchant's compliance with the PCI DSS. These QSAs perform assessments (also called audits) on site. Depending on a business's PCI merchant level, they may be required to perform an audit. For example, level 1 merchants (process over 6 million credit cards per year) are required to pass an annual audit by a QSA.
No matter the type of business, whether a retail or service provider environment, similar problems materialize before or during an audit that ultimately slow audit progress. Aside from being experts on PCI DSS requirements, onsite PCI DSS auditors are attuned to quickly see the security problems in an environment.
Top takeaway from this blog post: If you plan and prepare for your audit all year, the audit itself will not be a horrible event.
An incident response plan is a documented, written plan with 6 distinct phases that helps IT professionals and staff recognize and deal with a cybersecurity incident like a data breach or cyber attack. Having and following a proper incident response plan can mean the difference between a business going under and staying afloat.
Properly creating and managing an incident response plan involves regular updates and training. This post will walk you through what you need to do and when.
Top takeaway from this blog post: A proper incident response plan is a make-or-break part of your cybersecurity arsenal.
We secure peace of mind for organizations that handle sensitive data by holding our tools, training, and support to a higher, more thorough standard of performance and service.
With these blogs, resources, and others like them, you can prepare your organization’s data security and PCI DSS compliance for 2023. A focus on policies, procedures, documentation, and data mapping will go a long way towards preparing your organization to protect payment card data before, during, and after cyberattacks.
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