In wake of the recent security breaches to Home Depot, Jimmy John’s, and other businesses, it is time to ask yourself a few questions. What will your customers do if you are breached and lose their credit card information? Will they STOP trusting you with their credit/debit/EBT cards? Will they STOP shopping with you?
In fact, Tom Field, VP of editorial for Information Security Media Group, a Princeton, N.J.-based global media company, told PG Magazine in a recent article regarding the breaches of Albertsons and Supervalu, “The big cost is not what it costs to mitigate the breach. It’s a reputational hit. You’re going to have people getting [credit and debit] cards replaced for the second or third time, wondering if it’s safe to shop there.”
As a business owner, a data breach can cause severe damage to your reputation and profit. You work hard to build your customer’s loyalty and trust. What’s it worth?
Tips to help prevent a breach
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- Do NOT use default passwords
- You MUST use and keep up to date an antivirus program on every computer on any network that processes credit cards.
- You MUST keep your OS up to date with the latest security patches
- You MUST keep your POS network segmented from your public wifi. If you put in an access point yourself, get it checked NOW
- NEVER browse the internet or check email on any machine connected to your POS network
- Educate your employees on proper usage of equipment and NEVER let unverified persons repair or troubleshoot your system
- Contact your provider for more information on how you can protect your customer’s trust