PCI Vulnerability Standards
PCI vulnerability standards, otherwise known as, PCI DSS (payment card industry data security standards) are a long list of requirements that businesses of all sizes are required to follow if they accept or store credit cards at their business. This probably includes most businesses as most businesses do accept debit, credit and prepaid cards. If you are an online business owner, you are probably aware of the additional burden placed on your business back since 2006. Research shows that merchants have collectively spent more than $1 billion on PCI compliance to keep their businesses secure. This can seem completely overwhelming, as the people, money and time that you'd rather dedicate to your customers, will instead be spent generating, applying and managing what you need to stay compliant. There are many companies out there that can help you with your compliance, and you shouldn’t hesitate to check them out. It can save you some time and money.
In short, the function of the PCI vulnerability standards is to create as secure of an environment as possible for you to process credit cards. The PCI council has broken it down into 12 main security requirements that all merchants are supposed to strive for in order to be truly PCI compliant. However, the extents to which the 12 requirements need to be met depend on the number of transactions that a company processes in a year, which are separated into 4 levels.
PCI scanning is another important part of the PCI vulnerability standards and PCI compliance. You may also have heard it called Vulnerability Scanning. This is when you have an approved scanning vendor (ASV) scan any and all IP addresses that the public has access to that have to do with your website or the transaction process. This typically includes your websites IP address; however, if you transfer your customers to a third-party shopping cart hosted by your shopping cart provider during the checkout process, then you should include their IP address to be scanned as well.
In short, the PCI vulnerability standards are one of the most important parts of any business these days. Penalties for not complying can be severe, including enormous fines or possibly the merchant’s loss of the ability to accept credit card payments. So don’t take it lightly. Besides, when you are in compliance, your customers will know that you have taken the extra steps needed to make your website and business safe, which will result in more sales for you.
What is a Vulnerability Scanner?
The internet is a wonderful tool that has become a part of life that most can’t live without any more. But with the great things it also brings horrible things as well. Thieves and criminals now have more ways and means to be able to steal and attack people from the comforts of their own home. As a website owner, I am sure you are doing all you can to protect your computer and website from the dangers that lurk and a vulnerability scanner can be one important thing to add to your list of security measures if you don’t already have it.
A vulnerability scanner is a computer program designed to seek out and detect weaknesses in computers, websites, applications and networks. By checking your system against a database of known vulnerabilities, scanners can detect and then report holes in the security system. This is super important to have in the fight against online threats.
A vulnerability scanner is a bit different from your anti-virus software, in that it isn’t able to prevent attacks but it is the kind of program that provides awareness of possible dangers. When done by an ASV (approved scanning vendor), vulnerability scanning improves security by providing reports on what kinds of risks or vulnerabilities are found during the scan. These reports not only let you know about what kinds of things are threatening your system, but in what order they should be fixed so that you can increase your site’s efficiency and productivity.
Having anti-virus software is so important to protect your system against viruses, phishing, malware and more, but don’t put vulnerability scanning on the side burner. Having a vulnerability scanner plays an important part in maintaining your network’s security and giving your customer’s a website that they can trust.
Reduce the Risk with Vulnerability Scanning
Anybody that owns an online business knows that there is always risk involved in ecommerce. Hackers know there is a lot of sensitive information out there that they can get their hands on if they can just find a loop hole and get to it. This is why it is so important and sometimes even mandatory to reduce the risk through various means of website security. One means of website security that many online businesses use is vulnerability scanning.
Vulnerability Assessment Scanning is just what it sounds like it is. It is performed by a company that will scan your server looking for any vulnerabilities that might leave a hole where hackers could possibly find a way through. One of the best parts about vulnerability scanning is not only that it finds any vulnerabilities you may have on your site, but it also ranks those vulnerabilities according to which ones are most dangerous down to the ones that are the least dangerous. That way you are able to see which ones are a priority and you can figure out a way to fix those vulnerabilites.
Vulnerability scanning is also a great way to assess your website and figure out how much website security you will need as well as which type of website security is best for you. That way you can not only fix those vulnerabilities that the scan found, but you will also be able to do some preventative work and catch any problems before they can even become a security problem.
Vulnerability Scanning is very popular and a great way of getting a jump start on website security, although they are meant to be paired with some other means of website security and not to be used on their own. When they are paired with other types of website security they can be very beneficial and a huge asset to your company.
Site Security Options
By now we all know that without the proper site security, our online businesses are at a huge risk from hackers, computer viruses, identity theft or worse. Security for your website comes in all shapes and sizes.
Many people think that website security and computer security is the same thing. While they are related, they are different. In order to keep you computer secure, you will want to look for an Internet Security Suite. This is software that includes three main programs to protect your computer. Anti-virus programs to scan for viruses on your computer system; anti-spyware programs to monitor your system for behaviors that may be spyware related; and firewalls to prevent malware to from reaching your machine.
Website security goes beyond simply protecting your computer. You need to be sure that you are protecting your online business website and the customers who visit it. Site security includes things such as SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificates, to protect data transfers on your website. If you run credit card transactions, use personal logins on your site or ask for personal information such as addresses or id numbers, you definitely need a SSL certificate.
Another form of site security is PCI scanning. This is when an ASV (approved scanning vendor) scans your website for the thousands of vulnerabilities that exist out there in the cyber world. PCI scanning is a very important part of site security. Trust seals and privacy policies are another important aspect of site security. This is how you can prove to your customers that your website is safe.
So when you are thinking about different options for site security, consider the differences between computer security and website security. Also, consider implementing more than one type of security measure if not all that are listed to be sure you are fully protected.
Vulnerability Assessment and PCI Scanning
In my search to find out all that I could about PCI Scanning I recently saw the term vulnerability assessment mentioned with PCI Scanning and so I decided to make that my next subject of research. When I started I never thought it would be so difficult to find out how the two were related and after hours of looking I realized that the answer was staring me right in the face.
Vulnerability Assessment is related to PCI Scanning in the fact that they both serve basically the same purpose. They both scan over a subject in order to find any holes in the system that would let any intruders in. They not only help to find any viruses or bugs you might have in your system now, but their main purpose is to scan your system and find any problem areas and fix them in order to prevent any security issues from happening.
While I was learning about vulnerability assessment I found out how important it is to have something that will find these vulnerabilities for you. In this day in age it is important to have a third party helping to protect your online business. There are so many ways to hack into your server and corrupt all that you have worked for and if that isn’t scary enough these hackers are constantly scanning your business looking for holes, and they are constantly finding new ways to get a hold of the sensitive information that is stored on your site.
If you have an online business I would definitely look into getting some type of vulnerability assessment tool such as PCI Scanning to help protect your business. It would be very beneficial to protect yourself from hackers who are constantly changing their tactics by using a third party who can keep up on the latest things that the hackers are doing and scanning your business in order to prevent any security problems.
Using Hackersafe to Secure Your Business
Owning a business, even an online business is a big undertaking and one that comes with a lot of responsibilities. One of the biggest responsibilities is making sure your security is all that is should be. There are many different methods for making sure your business is secure, and it is important to do your research and find the ones that work best for you and your company. One type of website security that is pretty comprehensive is using a website security service like Hackersafe to help make sure you are covered from the many security issues that are out there.
Going with a service such as Hackersafe will provide a great benefit to your business. Not only will you increase your security and have a constant eye on your business looking for any weak spot where a hacker could get through, but you are also protecting your customers as well. It you make it known somewhere on your site that you are protected by a service such as Hackersafe, your customers will feel a lot better about buying from your site and you will see an increase in your conversion rate. Many businesses like Hackersafe even offer a money back guarantee if your conversion rate does not increase.
Although website security services such as Hackersafe are a commitment because of the cost, the pros definitely outweigh the cons and it is definitely worth it and it will make a big difference to your business as well as to your customers. It can be a scary world out there if the right security precautions aren’t taken and the internet is no exception. Using a service such as Hackersafe will take the security for your business to the next level and give your customers a business they can count on!
Improve Conversion Rates with McAfee Secure
If you are an online business owner and you want to increase sales, you really should consider some ways to boost your conversion rate. Companies, such as McAfee Secure, can help online business owners improve their conversion rates. So what is a conversion rate anyway?
Conversion rate is the number of people that visit your site and actually do what you want them to. For example, if you get 1000 visitors on your site each day, and 20 of them purchase your product, your conversion rate is 2%. As a website owner, knowing your conversion rate is highly helpful. It helps you to determine the level of trust that your visitors have. Anything over a 3% conversion rate is considered good, but generally conversion rates range from 1-3%. Many people overlook their conversion rates because they are concentrating on getting new customers to their site. It is good to have new visitors, but don’t forget about the ones you already may be getting, or you will be losing more sales.
There are many ways to increase your conversion rate. As mentioned above, trust seals are a really great tactic to get more sales. Because you have been verified by a third party, and you have the image posted on your site to prove so, you will gain more trust from the visitors of your site, which in return means more sales, and an increase in your conversion rate.
Another thing to consider for improving your conversion rate is SSL digital certificates. SSL, or Secure Sockets Layer, certificates provide encryption for transferring information over the internet. Having an SSL certificate helps to prevent hackers from stealing private customer information during a transaction. You must have SSL encryption pages when asking for information such as credit cards or social security numbers.
If you want to increase conversion rates, consider split testing. Split testing helps you determine the best area on your site to put things. You can purchase split testing programs that will automatically change content on your site, or that will report the results to you. It will test to see that your site is set up the best way possible to attract more visitors.
The last thing you should consider to increase conversion rate is that you need to display contact information and a privacy policy. Customers are more likely to shop on sites that have their contact info and privacy policies displayed, so they know your business is legitimate and safe.
So when looking to improve your conversion rate, consider companies such as McAfee Secure. They can help verify your business and help you to know what things you need to do to be the best online company you can be!
Site Security and the Ugly Truth
With computers becoming more and more prevalent in our lives we are becoming very dependant on the internet for many day to day things such as shopping (both clothes and grocery), paying bills, research or studying, and school. It has become an increasing trend as the ecommerce rises that more and more people are trying to make money online through many different ways, but mostly by starting a business through a website which is where site security comes into play.
Because there are so many people on the internet all the time there is a lot of private personal information floating around in cyber such as credit card info, names, addresses, etc. Everyone knows that information is out there, but unfortunately there are a lot of people who find a way to get that information and use it for their own personal gain. Those hackers have made it necessary for us to use site security. It’s a pain that we all wish wasn’t necessary, but we need all the protection we can get against these hackers that are too smart for their own good!
If you have an online business, it is not only beneficial for you to have site security to protect yourself and your information, but it is a big plus for your customers as well. When they come to your site and know that you have site security they know that you will also be protecting their personal information. This could make the difference in their decision to buy or not to buy.
It is up to us to take care of our own site security so be sure to do lots of research on the type that you will use. There are many different types of site security out there so be sure to pick the one that will best meet your needs, and in a lot of cases you might want to use more than one type to increase your site security.