Trustwave On How to Halt Hackers at the POS

Trustwave has worked with clients of every shape and size — across a range of industries — for years, ranging from Fortune 500 companies to what PCI compliance standards would refer to as Level 4 merchants. Each merchant requires its own approach to security, but a few industry-level truths have emerged over time as well.

At the ground floor of data security, many small businesses continue to fall victim to tricks that hackers have been pulling for years — perhaps as far back as 2005, Klotnia says. For these businesses, it’s time to think of basic payment security measures in a light that makes them as integral as a fire extinguisher in a restaurant.

Klotnia also speaks highly of the PCI standard, which can be combined with other security protocols to form a “very, very powerful solution” for data. Its prescriptive components — not just what to do, but how to do it — are another key feature that make it an option worth pursuing.

Looking forward, Klotnia also acknowledges that EMV will improve data security, referring to the standard as “a wise decision” for all participants. At the same time, it’s not a cure-all — or as he puts it, EMV is “far from a silver bullet.”

And Trustwave’s R&D arm — Spider Labs — is continuing to identify emerging threats, to keep Trustwave at the forward edge of security solutions.

 Part One: Revealing Unexpected Payment Data Risk

   

Part Two: EMV, PCI and the Future of Security

   


Douglas Klotnia is the Executive Vice President of Payment Services and Channel Partners for Trustwave, responsible for payment card industry relationships. He has more than 20 years of sales, business development, and product and operations management experience in high tech industries with companies such as AT&T and Internet Security Systems. He is a frequent speaker at industry events, including the ETA Annual Meeting and the Direct Response Forum.