PCI Chief Calls 2015 ‘Defining Year for Data Security’

Galvanized by President Barack Obama’s comments on cyberattacks in this week’s State of the Union address, PCI Security Standards Council general manager Stephen W. Orfei has declared 2015 to be “a defining year for cybersecurity protection.”

The lessons of 2014’s massive data breaches brought good news and bad news. The good? Most of these breaches were entirely preventable. The bad? The American business community exhibited (and continues to exhibit) a stunning lack of vigilance in implementing basic security measures that would otherwise speak to that reality (that “12345” and “password” remain widely-used passwords among upwardly mobile adults is sad and bananas).

Beyond plugging for a PCI Standards assessment, Orfei stresses the importance of security upkeep over basic implementation. As the technology and methodology of data hackers are constantly evolving, so must be the defenses that are in place against them. 24/7 data security protocols are essential not only for the functional operation of businesses themselves but also for maintaining consumer trust.

To that end, EMV chip technology will play a large part in this “defining year” of 2015. Already in use throughout much of the advanced world, EMV chip technology currently represents the high-water mark in fraud prevention at the face-to-face-transactional level. Where it falls short, however, is in all other forms of consumer exchanges: online, mail and telephone (nor in its present incarnation would EMV chip technology prevent breaches involving targeted malware).

The clear-cut division between strengths and weaknesses in EMV chip technology speaks to what will define data security as a whole in this new year: there is no single answer to cyberattacks.  What is of paramount importance is that businesses remain proactive and involved in seeking out, understanding and remaining receptive to various cybersecurity technologies as they evolve.

That, and no longer relying on insanely stupid passwords like “12345” and “password.”