7 Steps to Securing Your Point-of-Sale System | PCMag - 0 views
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Consider how the Target store hack in 2014 was one of the biggest point-of-sale (POS) system data breaches in United States history that exposed more than 70 million customer records to hackers, and cost the retailer's CEO and CIO their jobs. It was later revealed that the attack could have been avoided if Target had just implemented the auto-eradication feature within its FireEye anti-malware system.
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the reality is that most POS attacks can be avoided.
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be sure your company has a virtual private
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network (VPN) in place to safeguard data that's traveling back and forth on your company's
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network.
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Most of the aforementioned attacks have been the result of malware applications loaded into
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the POS system's memory.
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important point to note here is that a second app must be running (in addition to the POS app),
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This is why iOS has traditionally facilitated fewer attacks. Because iOS is only able to fully run one app at a time, these types of attacks rarely occur on Apple-made devices.
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otherwise the attack can't occur.
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Companies such as Verifone offer software that's designed to guarantee your customer's data is
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never exposed to hackers.
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These tools encrypt credit card information the second it's received on the POS device and once again when it's sent to the software's server. This means that the data is never vulnerable, regardless of where hackers might be installing malware.
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install endpoint protection software on your device.
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Employees can steal devices with POS software installed on them, or accidentally leave the device at the office or in a store, or lose the device. If devices are lost or stolen, anyone who then accesses the device and the software (especially if you didn't follow rule #2 above) will be able to view and steal customer records.
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Systems that connect
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to external networks are more susceptible to attacks from hackers
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Consider keeping things internal and secure, use a corporate network to handle critical tasks like payment processing.
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you'll want to comply with the Payment Card
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Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) across all card readers, networks, routers, servers, online shopping carts, and even paper files. The PCI Security Standards Council suggests companies actively monitor and take inventory of IT assets and business processes in order to
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detect any vulnerability.
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Even though this article is from 2019 it is still extremely relevant today. POS systems are found in most hospitality outlets and the chances for a security breach are high. I have often thought when I had my credit card to a waiter and they are gone for 10 minutes are they copying the number, is it being added to a database that can then be hacked? The importance of having the proper securities in place, the proper malware and security software is really important. Having had a catering company for 20 years I had to do PCI compliance tests every 6 months and for years I just handed it over to my IT to do the test. He would suggest things to make us safer and since it usually cost money I would shake it off. It wasnt until the credit card processing company i was using had a security breach that I realized how important these PCI rules were. It is something going forward I will always pay attention to!
