Online Security in Germany

I was recently reviewing a German Article about online security. It was so interesting to find that a German organization is pushing to increase their online commercial value by 10% this year. If they do this, their online turnover for 2013 would reach 32 Billion Euros.

So how did the Germans get so involved with the online networking world? Well, in 2012 more the ¾ of all Germans above the age of 16 bought multiple products and services over the Internet. It is proven that the online world is no longer focusing its strength in the U.S.  Asia, and most of Europe are also engaging in the art of the online business world.

Though this is a great national breakthrough for the inter-web, it also demonstrates the need for international online security.

With people accessing the web all over the world, it is even more crucial to have your online businesses, websites, and personal computers secure. International online services offer more diversity of goods, services, and pricing, but they also invite more hackers and identity thieves to access your personal information.

In the Eurostat and recent German Articles, Author Jan Valcke states:

“Most consumers know that online security has two sides. On the one hand, they are afraid to fall victim to obscure criminals; on the other hand, they are well aware that malware on their own pc can forward banking and credit card information to criminal units, even though they only deal with serious and trustworthy traders.”

Valcke continues to say, “Online providers that want to differentiate and ensure a safe shopping experience for their customers can do more than just the bare necessities. They can, for instance,set up a defense against online theft and password hijacking by Trojans and rootkits. They cannot avoid that there may be some malware on the consumer's PC that can have a negative impact on the shopping process, but at least, they can diminish the risks and consequences.”

You online security is important, and everyone who does business online, no matter where they live, knows it. Don’t take the risk by avoiding PCI Compliance. Make sure your website and your computer are secure today.

Processing Companies Request PCI Compliance

Learn How Being PCI COMPLIANT Actually SAVES YOU MONEY!

At my job working for a small Utah Independent Sales Office for a Credit Card Processing organization, I have business owners that call in all the time complaining about having to be PCI Compliant. The saddest part is that most of them don’t even know what it means to be PCI Compliant or why it is important to their business. 

As a business owner, it is crucial to make your business as secure as possible – especially online. In today’s world it is so vital to make sure that you are doing everything you can to avoid fraud and identity theft, both for yourself and for your customers. This is why PCI Compliance is required and why most ISO’s charge extra if you are not PCI Compliant.

Mark Dunn, the president of Field Guide Enterprises said, "An ISO has to be able to show that they're proactively taking steps to get their small to medium-sized merchants to comply with PCI requirements, ISOs want their merchants to comply because it's less risky."

Being less risky, as a business owner, should always be a number one priority for you, not just for the ISO with which you are working. If you are a business owner wanting to make sure your account is secure and that you are PCI Compliant, you will actually save yourself more money immediately and in the long haul.

ISO’s and Credit Card Processing Fees are going to charge you higher fees for not being compliant, because you are not secure. So it only makes sense to sign up to be PCI Compliant with a trusted company.

1.                    Your Credit Card Processing bill will be cheaper because you won’t be charged any non-compliance fees.

2.                    If any fraud was to occur while you are compliant, then they will help protect you and cover any losses.

To be a successful business owner, be PCI Compliant. It will also help you save money, thereby increasing your profits.

Top Five PCI Compliance Firms for Credit Card Processors

Being PCI Compliant is more than just completing the required self-assessment-questionnaire. It improves the safety of your business, and the security of the information you process for your valued customers. Finding the best compliance company, will help protect you from fraud and could potentially save you thousands of dollars against hackers and others trying to steal identities. 

If you are a business owner looking for the best company to start your PCI Compliance, then check out these Top 5 PCI Compliance Firms supported by National Credit Card Processing Companies:

·         First Data

·         iPayment

·         PowerPay

·         Elavon

·         NPC Retriever

These Top 5 PCI Compliant Companies are the most well-known PCI Compliance consultants that the payment processing industry has to offer. These findings were uncovered through professional surveying, research and risk evaluation. In order to have the honor of being published on the National Credit Card Processing Top 5 Compliant company list, they were required to excel in the following categories:

·         Price

·         Customer satisfaction

·         Coverage protection

·         Risk conversion

·         Fraud control settings

·         Security scan authenticity

·         Personal guarantor

Research also shows that when online consumers see that businesses display third party trust seals, they are more apt to make the buying decision because they can see that the company has gone through the rigorous process of becoming PCI Compliant.

Hackers Can Now Hack HTTPS Sites

November 12, 2013 in USA Today a story was released notifying all Internet users that hackers now have the ability to probe https weaknesses. For those of you who aren’t sure how serious this is, you may be wondering what exactly https is. Https is the URL Heading, so every “secure” (the word represented by the letter “S” in “https”) website you visit begins with https://. If hackers are able to infiltrate this “secure” URL, then that means they will be able to hack into nearly all websites. 

Usually SSL certificates provide the security and create the secure “https” site. But the problem is that the sites getting hacked into aren’t scanning their own sites from vulnerabilities that hackers use to infiltrate website coding. This leaves Internet users completely vulnerable to their hacking – regardless of their “secure” status.

RohitSethi, Special Author for CyberTruth in USA TODAY said, “This doesn't mean that HTTPS is broken - it still provides strong protection against many online threats.” But for individuals and corporations, the lesson here is that SSL certificates shouldn't be the only source of online protection.

“…While so much is riding on the Internet's ability to function securely and protect its users, not enough is being done to keep pace with a growing number of threats that could diminish the reliability of the cryptographic systems that make a secure Internet possible.”

With this information, it makes it even more crucial for people to use Secure URLS and IP Addresses and to scan their site to search for loop holes used by hackers to access websites.

Trust Guard, the leader in website security and online business verifications, has been the proven choice for protecting thousands of online businesses against hackers. When you are visiting websites online and you see the security seal of Trust Guard, you can know that the site will be protected against hackers.

What to Expect from Trust Seal Providers

As an online business owner, having the right Trust Seal Provider can bring additional revenue, creating a more successful online business. Many internet consumers will not even look at a site if they feel it is insecure. This is why when you have a respected third-party trust logo displayed on your website consumers are 90% more likely to purchase your products. This basically guarantees more sales.

It is important to know that you, as a business owner, are getting the most from your trust seal provider. You deserve to know that you are working with the best trust logo company available.

One of the best ways to choose your trust seal provider is to compare various products, services and prices among the most respected leaders in the industry.

When I first began my online business, I searched everywhere trying to find the best trust seal provider. After quite a bit of research, I found a provider that I knew was respected by the online e-commerce community. They offered me the best website security protection and beautiful, trust logos that were guaranteed to grow my business, at an affordable price. Trust Guard is the best trust seal provider I found and they offered the following products and services:

·         Daily Vulnerability Scans

·         Fast Approval & Assistance

·         Easy-to-Display Trust Logos

·         Guaranteed, Attractive  Seals

·         Professional,Quick Customer Service

·         Easy-to-Understand Scanning Reports

·         Customizable Customer Dashboards

As a successful online business owner it is so important to find a trust seal provider that you can trust. Make sure your trust seal is constantly active and up-to-date so that your customers will always know that they can trust your business.

By knowing what to expect from the best trust seal providers, you will be able to start improving and growing your online business.