Security breaches are common in the retail industry these days. We hear of POS malware strikes and POS security breaches very frequently and now retail stores pay too much attention to data security. But ask security experts and analysts and they’d say that there are many retail stores that still lack basic security. There are many retail stores everywhere that are prone to all kinds of point of sale breaches. Hence, it becomes important that retail stores give utmost importance to data security and do all that is needed to prevent data breaches. Here’s a look at what all can be done to prevent data breaches…
Make security a priority, invest more on security – This is what counts the most. Retailers have to understand that security is a priority and not an afterthought. It’s because retailers fail to prioritize security that they have point of sale systems that lack basic security measures. It’s this that leads to POS security breaches happening in large numbers. Yes, security is a priority, never ignore it. Thus retailers should get ready to invest more on their company’s cyber security efforts.
Take PCI compliance seriously – It’s known to all retailers that PCI compliance is a must for all e-commerce businesses. If they don’t adhere to the PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards) security standards, they would be fined. Thus, they do things to make sure they are PCI compliant and don’t get fined. In fact, retailers have to understand the seriousness, the importance of PCI compliance. It’s not just adhering to a rule, it’s more about the security of customers and their personal data and it’s also about the business and its reputation. Thus, they have to be very specific and careful when choosing the security systems needed to ensure PCI Scanning.
Monitor systems and websites, set up alerts – It’s always good to monitor and keep determining the system’s overall security posture, with regular security risk assessments. Similarly, there is always the need to monitor the company’s website, using some real-time analytics tool and thus observe things and get alerted if any fraudulent behavior happens or any POS malware or harmful software targets the website. Setting up system alerts to get notification of suspicious activities is also good.
Always go for secure payment channels – Any retailer who wants to stay secure should make sure he chooses only secure payment channels. This is because it’s customer payment information that’s the most targeted information in POS security breaches. Proper and secure encryption has to be ensured and businesses should also go for things like using firewalls, tokenization etc.
Have proper security plan for third-party providers – Proper vendor management is a must. Vendors could be assessed on a regular basis for determining security posture. This is because such vendors or third-party providers may sometimes be instrumental in causing the point of sale security breaches.
Educate and train employees – Educating employees on various aspects of data security and training them on how to ensure better security happen to be important for overall security. They also need to be educated on how to handle customers’ personal data without letting any security breach happen.
Other basic security measures, like integrating surveillance cameras, checking operating systems, avoiding the storage of sensitive data etc also needs to be taken care of.
