Recently, an atypical amount of retailer data breaches have created the need for boosted security strategies to safeguard the sensitive information of stores and their customers. In the current eCommerce and retailer environment, an increased number of organizations are working to boost their cybersecurity, however, there are a few aspects these groups need to consider to ensure the success of their initiatives.
Boost point-of-sales security
A considerable amount of the recent breaches have involved attacks on point-of-sales terminals, sparking the need for boosted security at these endpoints. Experts encourage retailers to know their enemy, and keep up to date on recent attack strategies. Vendors can use this information to safeguard their systems against certain styles of infection.
Additionally, merchants should implement protection over the entire network on which the POS terminals run. A restore solution like Faronics Deep Freeze can ensure that information stored on this hardware is not lost in the event of a data breach. Along with a monitoring program, this provides the layered security needed to prevent sensitive customer information from being leaked to cybercriminals.
Employee usage policy
Some attacks occur due to certain online actions taken by employees. Therefore, it is important to establish a usage policy for workers to follow while utilizing the retailer’s network resources, and ensure that individuals are educated as to security best practices.
The usage policy should outline the do’s and don’ts of using hardware and online platforms belonging to the store. For example, some companies do not allow workers to access certain webpages known for security vulnerabilities. Additionally, administrators should encourage employees to employ strong passwords in their login credentials to prevent unauthorized access to systems.
Encrypt payment card data
To prevent attackers from reading payment card information, retailers should employ encryption for data in transit and at rest. This will render sensitive data like customer names, payment card numbers, addresses and other information unreadable if an attacker is able to breach the system.
