According to a blog post on the PCI DSS website, building a secure culture in your online business is essential.
“As long as there’s money to be made, we can expect criminals to continue their attacks on businesses worldwide,” wrote Lindsay Goodspeed. She is a communications specialist for the Payment Card Industry (PCI). That’s the organization that develops and maintains security standards for online account data protection.
Cyber criminals often go after low-hanging fruit – anything from static passwords to software that has not been updated. Online business owners and their teams need to be educated in security basics. That pertains not just to those who handle cardholder data, but to everyone in the organization, the blog confirmed.
With cybercrime ringing up charges of nearly $3 trillion a year, it’s imperative for organizations both big and small to prioritize security at every level, particularly those businesses which handle cardholder data. Having an SSL and scanning your site daily for malware and vulnerabilities is a good start, but they are just the foundation for building a secure culture.
If cybersecurity isn’t a priority for you, it’s not a matter of if you’ll get hacked, but when. – PCI Blog Post
Cyber thugs aren’t taking a break. They continually attempt to breach your website’s front and back doors. You shouldn’t take a break either. “Prioritize your efforts to reduce risk and increase security, every day, year-round, not just at assessment time,” Goodspeed said. Daily vulnerability and malware scanning is one of the best ways to keep hackers away.
“The importance of creating a culture of cybersecurity cannot be understated. That is why the latest version of the Data Security Standards requires that organizations establish responsibility for the protection of cardholder data and the PCI DSS compliance program at the executive management level,” Lindsay affirmed. “A layered approach to security will better protect your customer’s cardholder data.”
As hackers improve their skills, so must online business owners. Otherwise, it’s not going to be much of a fight.
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