October 2, 2019, Dublin, Ireland – Atlanta, Georgia – London, United Kingdom – Sysnet Global Solutions has announced the launch of its PCI DSS solution designed to help payment facilitators, their sub-merchants, and their Acquirers increase PCI compliance and reduce risk. The PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) is a set of […]
Mastercard has set a deadline for acquiring organisations to manage risk in their Level 4 Merchant portfolio. Mastercard’s updated Site Data Protection (SDP) Program rules expect PCI DSS compliance validation from your high-risk merchants. Mastercard requires all acquirers to have a Level 4 risk management programme in place to meet the updated SDP requirements. […]
by Michael Hopewell, Managing Information Security Consultant. Introduction Many businesses have heard about Point to Point Encryption (P2PE). Point of Sale vendors, service providers and others often mention its benefits to businesses: P2PE can reduce risk to payment card data by rendering it unreadable, minimise the number of systems and networks in scope for […]
Compliance with the PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) is mandatory for all businesses accepting cards for payment. The Standard ensures appropriate security protocols are applied to your payment acceptance environment to protect against fraud. In its simplest form, the process of achieving compliance involves a scoping (or profiling) stage, which determines […]
Lots of Internet-connected devices are available on the market and a popular theme now is devices to create a ‘smart home’, which includes smart door locks, surveillance/security cameras and heating control systems that can be monitored and controlled when you are away from the home. This ability to remotely connect to and integrate devices […]
On the 17th May 2018, the PCI SSC published the latest version of the PCI Data Security Standard: the PCI DSS v3.2.1. In this article we look at the changes that have been included in the updated Standard. These are also discussed in the PCI SSC’s summary of changes document. A new standard? This […]
Over the last few months, the PCI SSC has published a set of documents to establish a new program for the specification, testing, evaluation and PCI SSC listing of Software-based PIN entry on Commercial Off The Shelf devices (COTS) Solutions. Solutions also known as SPoC. The PCI DSS developed this new PCI Security Standard […]
‘PIN on Glass’ is a catchy phrase that the payments industry and solution vendors have been bandying about as the next big thing for payment card processing: point of sale solutions that will allow merchants to accept card payments using just their mobile device and with no need to purchase expensive hardware. This is […]
JUMP TO THE INFOGRAPHICS RELATED TO THIS BLOG POST >>> We see and hear many articles in the media about data breaches and talk of millions of records being stolen by faceless cybercriminals. But once this data is stolen and obtained by the individual or criminal organisation, what do they do with […]
When it comes to compiling with PCI DSS, many small to medium merchants struggle to find the time or resources. As a result often they end up paying non-compliance fees which in turn leaves them vulnerable to security breaches. An alternative to this approach is to replace the non-compliance fee with compliance and security value-added […]
By Sam Pfanstiel, QSA, QSA(P2PE), QPA, PA-QSA, SSF, SSA, SSLCA Ask a QSA recently received the following query from an acquirer and we felt that this may be of interest to our readers. Merchants had been asking their acquirer “how can we better secure our m-commerce channel?” It’s a good question. Recent research has shown […]
Many smaller business owners simply don’t have the time or resources to comply with PCI. As a result, they often end up paying ongoing, non-compliance fees leaving them vulnerable to security breaches. So what’s the solution? It’s simple, take the burden away from smaller merchants by providing them with a managed compliance and security […]
We regularly hear news stories about large corporations being hit with fines and suffering significant costs due to data breaches. Many small businesses believe themselves to be immune to this threat as they believe themselves to be “too small to be a target” or that they “don’t hold valuable data.” Sadly, this is no longer […]
With the PCI SSC June 30th deadline fast approaching for all businesses to migrate away from using SSL and early TLS protocols, have your business customers taken the necessary steps to ensure that they are compliant? In this infographic, we examine what the TLS deadline is and what you can do to assist your customers. […]
By Judith Clark, QSA Consultant In recent years, numerous security reports have identified an increasing trend for intrusions affecting Point of Sale (POS) environments to have involved insecure remote access from service providers and their networks. As the ENISA points out, criminals are turning to network-based attacks against retailers’ POS infrastructure because attacks requiring physical […]
Ask a QSA recently received the following Primary Account Number (PAN) Truncation query and felt that this may be of interest to our readers. By Judith Clark, QSA Consultant With the forthcoming increase of Bank Identification Numbers (BINs) from six digits to eight digits, are there any PCI DSS compliance issues with showing […]
Compliance with multiple information security related standards and regulations can be challenging for organisations. However, by aligning all standards using our Combined Assessment Model, requirements, cost and complexity can be significantly reduced. In this infographic, we explore the short and long term benefits.
With the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) 30th June 2018 deadline fast approaching, it’s important that your customers are prepared to migrate to a secure version of TLS . Back in October of last year, Sysnet’s Natasja Bolton, Senior Acquirer Support QSA, highlighted the key factors as to what the TLS […]
PCI DSS compliance clients shortlisted at UK and Ireland’s leading industry awards Dublin, Ireland. 29th January 2018. Sysnet Global Solutions, a leading provider of cyber security and compliance solutions to the payments industry, is delighted to announce that three of its clients – Elavon Merchant Services, Worldpay, and Lloyds Bank Cardnet – are all shortlisted […]
Despite various approaches that some acquirers take to try and engage with businesses when it comes to compliance programs, some merchants simply do not engage. The traditional approach of driving compliance via non-compliance fees unfortunately doesn’t always produce results and can also lead to a negative association with the brand of the acquirer in the eyes […]
By Francis Kyereh, Information Security Consultant Maintaining payment security is required for all entities that store, process or transmit cardholder data. Guidance for maintaining payment security is provided in PCI security standards. These set the technical and operational requirements for organisations accepting or processing payment transactions. The PCI DSS Version 3.2, containing nine new requirements […]
When undertaking any kind of PCI DSS assessment, whether it is a formal assessment or self-assessment questionnaire (SAQ), the most important thing is ensuring that the scope is correct. Without an understanding of the scope, systems may be overlooked and/or insufficient security controls applied. This may lead to a risk of data breach. Conversely, […]
By Mat Clarke, Information Security Analyst Introduction Testing the security of any network infrastructure and applications which are involved in the storing, processing or transmitting of cardholder data is often a key part of maintaining compliance with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) requirements. Along with internal and external vulnerability scanning (only […]
By Natasja Bolton, Senior Acquirer Support QSA Back in January 2016, we highlighted the PCI Council’s extension of the migration completion date for transitioning from SSL and TLS 1.0 to a secure version of TLS (currently v1.1 or higher). Now, with just 8 months to go until the migration date deadline, we’re here to ask: […]
The PCI SSC has published a further update on the applicability and implementation of the SAQ A requirements to merchant web servers that redirect customers to a third party for payment processing. The SAQ A is applicable to merchant entities that have wholly outsourced their entire ecommerce website infrastructure to a PCI DSS compliant […]
With larger organisations that deal directly with an acquirer, they do not have the guidance of an online portal and often rely on the PCI council in relation to SAQ selection as well as advice provided by a third party service provider. In order to address these difficulties with ecommerce SAQ selection we have […]
Many businesses are often unaware that ensuring their payment terminals are part of a Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE) Solution can carry considerable benefits when it comes to simplifying their PCI DSS compliance. As we discovered here at Sysnet, the reason why many businesses are not aware of P2PE and its benefits is that they often find […]
by Natasja Bolton, Senior Acquirer Support QSA The UK Cards Association’s 2017 report on UK Card Payments, released on 19th June 2017, reported a doubling of debit and credit card purchases in the last 10 years. The volume of card transactions reached 16.4 billion in 2016, an increase of 146% from 2006, even though the […]
by Natasja Bolton, Senior Acquirer Support QSA At the release of the PCI Scoping Guidance back in December 2016, the PCI Council highlighted the fact that “data breach investigation reports continue to find that companies suffering compromises were unaware that cardholder data was present on their compromised systems”. Why is that? Well, often […]
May 17th 2017. Today, Sysnet Global Solutions a leading provider of cyber security and compliance solutions to the payments industry, announced that it has partnered with Elavon Merchant Services to develop Secured Pro; a managed PCI compliance validation and cyber security service that offers enhanced protection against fraud and payment security breaches. “A new […]
Requirement 11.2.2 of the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, otherwise known as the ASV scanning requirement, affects a significant number of businesses. These businesses need to engage an Approved Scanning Vendor (ASV to run external vulnerability scans quarterly. It can be difficult for these companies to understand what ASV external vulnerability scanning is, […]
Most businesses have to comply with multiple information security related standards and regulations. In our experience the average is 3. These can include but are not limited to PCI DSS, GDPR, ISO 2700, Sarbanes Oxley, HIPAA, Cyber Essentials, POPI and even audits by clients.
Online commerce has created incredible new opportunities for businesses to market and sell services globally. Many businesses, in particular small to medium ones, often do not consider that they could be targeted by cyber crime. The reality, unfortunately is that small to medium businesses are now very much being targeted by cyber criminals as many are […]
On March 9th 2017, we officially launched our new US Customer Contact Centre in Atlanta, Georgia. Both Commissioner Pat Wilson of the Georgia Department of Economic Development and Gabriel Moynagh, CEO at Sysnet cut the ribbon to officially launch the opening of the new centre. The launch proved to be a great success and was attended […]
March 9th, 2017, Dublin, Ireland / Atlanta, Georgia. Today, Commissioner Pat Wilson of the Georgia Department of Economic Development officially opened Sysnet’s new customer contact centre located at 1001 Perimeter Summit Boulevard. Sysnet Global Solutions is a leading provider of cyber security and compliance solutions to the payments industry. The new centre will provide services […]
In May last year, in advance of the introduction of the PCI DSS v3.2 SAQs (Self-Assessment Questionnaires) we created a downloadable fact sheet to explain in detail the impact of the updated Standard on the SAQ types.
Information Security is complex. Understanding risk and implementing appropriate mitigating controls, be they technical or otherwise, is a challenge for organisations of any size. There is no getting away from that, but witchcraft?
With its expanded content, fully revised diagrams of the e-commerce implementation methods and inclusion of case studies the 2017 guidance is a useful reference for merchants and services providers alike.
Let us first summarise the applicability and intent of SAQ A. This self-assessment questionnaire is applicable to entities that outsource their e-Commerce payment channel payment processing to a PCI DSS compliant third party.
Conducting an outreach campaign can be tricky to get right as well as resource heavy. Responding to market conditions while also proactively engaging your customers through their preferred channels can be difficult to achieve successfully. It can make sense to outsource, however often providers are not specialised or experienced enough in conducting an outreach security and compliance […]
