In James Barrow’s book on achieving PCI Compliance, he states that the research study showed that “not becoming compliant with the standard (Data Security Standard – or DSS) could lead to additional costs posed by a data breach.”

For one, the SSC (Security Standards Counsel) can elevate your business to Level 1 status following a breach or compromise. That means that you’ll have to do everything a Level 1 has to do despite the lower level of transactions that you process. Of course, the biggest expense with this option is the previously unnecessary need to hire a Qualified Security Assessor or or pay someone inside your organization to conduct an Internal Audit if it is signed by an officer of the company.

Also, Barrow continues, “a breach may require further expenditures related to customer notifications and providing credit monitoring services.  Finally, there are the expenses that may result from litigation, as well as the unknown variable of the cost to the company in loss of customer confidence.”

So, you decide, you can scan your site daily for vulnerabilities against hackers and increase customer confidence by displaying Trust Guard seals.  Or you can leave your site open to hackers and outside attacks and potentially face the swollen and costly revised requirements of the Payment Card Industry.

To put it in monetary terms, you can pay Trust Guard $497 a year for daily vulnerability scanning and PCI Compliant Reports, or pay almost $10,000 a year to repair the damage. Included in the yearly price of $497 a year (or $47 a month) comes a Security Scanned trust seal to display on your website that is GUARANTEED to grow your business significantly.

With that knowledge, getting a daily PCI Compliant Vulnerability Scan and industry exclusive Video Security Seal from Trust Guard to show online consumers that your site is safe, and that you are a legitimate company that will protect their privacy, is one of the best return on investments out there!  Visit www.Go.Trust-Guard.com today!

There are, nonetheless, a major difference between the two. To quote from the book Achieving PCI Compliance page 245,

“A vulnerability scan is a simple test that looks for and reports on any vulnerabilities found within your network infrastructure. That is the extent of a vulnerability scan: Identification and reporting. [The PCI Compliant Security Scan reports describe any vulnerabilities a website might have, and also delineates the solution]

A penetration test is often times conducted after the vulnerability scan. A penetration test attempts to exploit one or more of the vulnerabilities identified during the vulnerability scan. A penetration test attempts to verify if an identified vulnerability is actually susceptible to being exploited.”

Vulnerability scanning must be run against the internal and external networks on a quarterly basis, and after any significant changes in the network like installations, changes in network topology, firewall rule modifications, product upgrades, etc. If you run the vulnerability scan and there are no security issues, a penetration test is not necessary.

Trust Guard, the leader in website security, uses a PCI compliant Approved Scanning Vendor (ASV) and offers vulnerability scanning on a quarterly and daily basis. They also provide the PCI compliant scan reports and security verification seals to show online visitors that the website has been scanned. When online consumers see that our sites are safe from hackers, they feel confident and our conversion rates increase – sometimes significantly.

If you have any questions about Trust Guard’s Security scans and/or trust seals, please call toll free 877-848-2731 – Ask for Aaron.

It makes sense to display Security Verification Seals, Privacy Verification Seals, and Business Verification Seals – because shoppers are concerned about all three areas of website identity. One company, Trust Guard, provides all three seals – plus an industry exclusive Video Security Seal.

It makes sense for us as website owners to remove all the fear, doubt, and suspicion that accompanies making a buying decision online. When there is no hesitation to do what we want our online visitors to do, our conversion rates will increase.

Online consumers worry about the security of our websites.  They ask: Is this website safe? Will I get a virus? Do they scan daily for vulnerabilities so that hackers won’t get in and steal my personal information?

They worry about the privacy of the our websites.  They ask: If I give them my email address, will I wake up tomorrow with 50 emails from companies I’ve never heard of?

They worry about our integrity as business owners. They ask: Is this a trustworthy business? If there is an issue with my purchase, will I be able to contact someone?

There are several ways that trust seals give consumers the peace of mind they need to trust us as website owners. They can see on the seals the date of the last time that our websites were verified.  Also included on the trust seals are the names of our websites – customized exclusively for each particular company.

They can click on the seals and view the certificates that the trust seal company provides that show when our websites have been verified. The certificates will also show that the websites have passed the daily vulnerability scans – which everyone knows is the first line of defense in keeping our websites safe from hackers and outside attacks.

Online consumers can also view our phone, email, and physical address on the certificates, so that they know that they will be able to get a hold of us should the need arise. The trust seal company also provides their information, so that if for some reason we as website owners do not resolve a disagreement with a customer in a timely fashion, they can help.

It’s really pretty simple. When we as website owners increase the amount of traffic that trusts us, more people will do what we want them to do. One of the most productive ways to achieve high levels of trust with online consumers is to display Trust Guard trust seals on our websites.

The biggest reason why our websites are getting hacked into is because of what I call “unreasonable indifference.” We know that security scanning, like that offered by Trust Guard, can look for over 30,000 vulnerabilities that hackers can and often do use to compromise our websites.  But few of us do anything about it.

It’s like knowing that if we don’t brush your teeth, they will all rot out, and still not brushing our teeth! We know that vulnerability scanning can find issues and will give PCI Compliant reports for us to repair with our hosting companies, keeping us safe from hackers.  It’s time we grab the toothbrush and start brushing!  In other words, it’s time we contacted Trust Guard and started scanning our sites on a daily basis.

Hackers continue to find ways to compromise our websites’ files and folders. We can keep our sites safe by scanning them for vulnerabilities that hackers use. When hackers see that our sites are scanned on a daily basic by Trust Guard, they are more likely to turn away and try to hack into someone else’s website.

Trust Guard Security Scanned Seals are like having signs on our lawns and front doors stating that we have a 24 hour alarm system. These seals, when displayed at strategic places on our websites will decrease the number of outside attacks.  To me it just makes sense. If we have a website, it needs to be scanned.  And the most inexpensive, most effective, most convenient way to scan our sites for vulnerabilities against hackers is through Trust Guard – The Leader in Website Security and Verification.  Don’t be another of several friends who have told me that their website was hacked into!

Trust marks or trust seals are small images placed in strategic places on websites. Depending upon which trust seals you are using depends on where website owners/designers should place the trust mark.

Reputation, or Business Identity Seals improve online consumer confidence best when displayed on the home page and the About Us page.

Privacy Verification Marks work best on the home page in the footer and in the Contact Us page or next to a request for an email address or phone number.

Security, or Vulnerability Scanning Seals improve the chances of turning more visitors into customers on the home page, top fold, in each pages header or footer, and on the checkout page to significantly reduce shopping-cart abandonment.

When choosing a security scanning seal, check for how many vulnerabilities are scanned daily. Trust Guard, for example, scans for over 30,000 vulnerabilities.  These seals or marks tell online consumers with click-able certificates that the site has been verified by a third party and  reassures them that the business is trustworthy and that the website itself is safe.

Below is an example of the power of using all three seals to form a package of trust and confidence in website visitors that has been proven to get more people to buy more product more often:

If you click on this SocialMarketingLive link, you can receive (free – with no further obligation) seven interviews from the top internet marketers worldwide who discuss Garrett’s new system and social marketing optimization in general.  Remember, PCI Compliance will keep you in business. But to succeed, you need to build social equity.  Building Social Equity 2.0 will help!

To read an entire article devoted to social media optimization, click here.

First, maintain consistent, if not constant interaction with online associates.

Second, ask for help.

Third, tell them you appreciate them.

Fourth, give freely.

Fifth, get to know the competition.

So why is the PCI Compliance Guy talking about building social equity on a site that focuses on website compliance and PCI Security Scanning?  Easy.  If your site is not secure (SSL, vulnerability scanning, etc) there is no way you will be able to create mutually beneficial relationships online.

Social media marketing is all about trusting the person you are interested in working with. I hear about improving business relationships, like with Garrett Pierson’s new program Building Social Equity 2.0, and all I can think of is the word trust.

Is the site of the website owner that wants to work with me safe? It’s easy to tell if he displays a trust seal like Trust Guard? Can i locate him after the agreement has been made? If you want to build your social equity online, people need to trust you. I suggest getting Trust Guard seals displayed on your site so that they immediately trust you the moment the log onto your site.

In our never-ending attempt to keep our offline businesses and online websites free of inside and outside attacks, we must never lose sight of the benefits associated with effective passwords.

Sure, anti-viruses protect computers before they go online, and once online, SSL certificates serve their purpose.  Security scanning and verification services such as Trust Guard not only keep hackers away, but also let online consumers know that sites that display trust seals are safe.  However, effective passwords will protect most areas that online hackers and office troublemakers want to infiltrate.

Much of the “hacking” that is going on in the business world today is from people that work in the same office!  The all-too-common statement:  “Hey buddy, I need that file, what’s your password?” is penetrating the once-protected personal and professional documents of the gullible and trusting.

The Payment Card Industry (PCI) requires that website owners assign a unique ID to each person with computer access, then requests that they set a private password.  As with any computer action, knowing who is accountable is critical when it comes to handling credit card transactions.  And how can you know who is responsible if you’re sharing passwords?  For more on PCI compliance requirements and the PCI’s Data Security Standard (DSS), visit www.pci-compliance.us.

The act of sharing passwords has gotten more people in more legal and financial problems than any other business issue.  If an important file or folder is taken, using your password, how will you show that you didn’t take it?  If something is done wrong by someone else, like compromising a document, or transferring accounts comprised of financial or monetary data, and it is done with your password, it is extremely difficult to prove that you were not involved.

Keep your password safe.  Whether it is locked up in a physical or online safe, in a personal binder that never leaves you, or in your head, you should keep your password in an environment where others won’t be able to locate it.

In addition to making an individualized password and keeping it private, you should make it at least seven characters long.  Shorter passwords are easy to steal from passersby.  It should contain upper and lower case letters, numerals, and special characters.  The more you mix up the password’s numbers, letters, and special characters, the better.  One of the numbers or special characters should be in the second through sixth position (not first or last).

Change your password often – no matter how safe you think it is, and make it significantly different from prior passwords.  I had a boss once who told me that he had the same password every month, but only changed the last numbers of it to reflect which month it was. I think “tootrusting11” was the password he used for November!  I do not recommend using his system.

Do not use a common name or a common word as a password, and refrain from using your own name or username.  Spouse, children, and pet names are also ineffective.  Thousands of documents have been stolen or compromised by passwords like “password”, “business”, and “Ultimate Frisbee”.  Wrongdoers have guessed passwords including the company’s name or industry – and surprisingly, their guess was right.

In short, along with keeping your website’s SSL active and performing PCI scans through Trust Guard, you should create unique passwords, change them often, and keep them private.  Stop being Mr. Gullible.

To increase conversions and get more sales, you want to establish the highest level of trust that you can. Trust Guard does this by addressing the three major concerns your visitors have:

If these concerns are resolved professionally and effectively, your site and data will be protected, you will build trust with your customers and add credibility to your website. Most importantly, it will increase your website’s conversions and sales! The most effective and easiest way to do this is by adding Trust Guard seals to your site.

Your customers will instantly know that your website has been evaluated, verified, and/or scanned by a reliable 3rd party when you add our seals to your website, and they will buy from you with confidence!

I have found a cool blog on website security.  It talks about the benefits associated with utilizing Trust Guard to scan your site and verify your business identity and privacy policy.  It’s cool, because you not only get scanned and verified by Trust Guard, but then they put a seal on your site to turn more of your visitors into customers!

To become a member of Trust Guard and start growing your business by keeping your site safe from Hackers, click here: GROW MY BUSINESS!

]]> http://pci-compliance.us/archives/253/feed 0 http://pci-compliance.us/archives/240 http://pci-compliance.us/archives/240#comments Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:55:48 +0000 Harold The Hacked http://pci-compliance.us/?p=240 Well Howdy!

My name is Harold, but you can call me Harold the Hacked.  Why not, everyone else does!  You have probably heard how my site got hacked into.  And that now I listen to everything the The PCI Compliance Guy tells me to do!  What a pain in the you-know-where is was to have to direct my traffic back to my original site after a hacker had redirected it to Mongolia of all places!

The PCI Compliance Guy told me to get Trust Guard’s Security Scanned Seals to check for over 30,000 vulnerabilities that hackers could use to get into my system. I did it!

Not only do I feel safe now, but my clients feel safe too!  Trust Guard’s trust seals let online consumers know that a third party has verified my site and found everything in order.  Because my visitors feel safe, more of them are using my services!  I’ve got a clean site and a thriving business – all thanks to Trust Guard and The PCI Compliance Guy!

]]> http://pci-compliance.us/archives/240/feed 0 http://pci-compliance.us/archives/236 http://pci-compliance.us/archives/236#comments Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:34:23 +0000 The PCI Compliance Guy http://pci-compliance.us/?p=236 Good Morning!

Today I spoke with Harold. You might not have heard of him yet.  He is only one in thousands upon thousands whose website was hacked into.

We just became the best of friends because I set him up with PCI scanning with Trust Guard.  When visitors see his seals, more of them will become his clients!

I recommend that you do what Harold is doing and learn as much as you can about PCI Compliance – whether or not you process credit cards on your site!

WHAT MARKETING EFFORT CAN GUARANTEE YOU MORE SALES?

Trust Guard Security Scanned Seals increase business an average of 16% – and as a bonus they keep your website safe from outside attacks and Hackers!  Trust Guard’s products are guaranteed to grow your business or they will Double Your Money Back!

Want more information? Go to www.go.Trust-Guard.com to find out how you can grow your business by letting your visitors know that your site is safe and that you run a legitimate business.

Visa – PCI Compliance Acceleration Program