Will Help Reduce Merchant Risk and Scope of the PCI DSS
CHICAGO (June 24, 2010) -Trustwave, a leading provider of information security and compliance solutions, is working with leading acquiring institutions to implement an end-to-end encryption solution for the payment card industry.
End-to-end encryption converts cardholder data into indecipherable code throughout the entire payment processing chain - from the retail terminal to the processor or acquirer. Persistently encrypting this data renders it unreadable to unauthorized third parties, such as hackers, who try to steal sensitive information, such as credit card numbers. Encryption is another layer of defense against hackers or any unauthorized third party because even if the data is accessed they would be unable to read it.
"Trustwave has been working with leading acquiring institutions to create a solution that will not disrupt commerce or require merchants to procure new hardware," says Robert J. McCullen, chairman and CEO of Trustwave. "This solution is a new security layer in a network infrastructure rooted with security controls to protect its assets from evolving threats."
Implementing end-to-end encryption helps merchants reduce the scope of their Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliance validation process. While merchants are required to validate compliance, if cardholder data is encrypted, the applicability of the PCI DSS review to their business is greatly narrowed. This helps reduce merchants' compliance costs and significantly lowers the risk of a card compromise. Many industry experts agree that this approach - end-to-end encryption - is the future of credit card security.
Trustwave's end-to-end encryption will be a flexible solution powered by its patent-pending innovations in high-performance encryption, advanced key management and Smart Tag technology. Primary Account Number (PAN) data and card track data (also known as magnetic stripe data) will remain encrypted throughout the transaction, from the point-of-sale device to the processor, acquirer and issuer. The solution's flexibility will allow it to work in existing Point-of-Sale (POS) deployments without requiring large-scale hardware replacement. It will include an automated electronic encryption key management system which will facilitate secure decryption of information by authorized parties. Automating and simplifying the requirement of encryption key management will make the solution easy to manage and use for acquirers.
Another significant value is the integration with Trustwave's TrustKeeper® Agent, an industry leading software solution that helps maintain overall security for POS systems, store networks and merchant data centers. This integration ensures Trustwave's end-to-end encryption solution receives the latest technology enhancements and consolidated reporting from the Trustwave portal, and it provides the established framework for deploying across large customers.
"Implementing end-to-end encryption is an effective method of protecting card holder data as it travels through the processing chain," says Art Roldan, CEO at ISD Corporation. "Trustwave's focus on developing a solution that ensures sensitive data is protected throughout the entire transaction process without requiring change to a merchant's current environment will increase confidence and simplify the implementation process."
Trustwave's solution will ensure that encrypted card information is maintained in the same format in which the information is currently included on a payment card. Format Preserving Encryption (FPE) enables adherence to the strict space and format limitations of legacy payment systems, which can be seamlessly integrated with Trustwave's end-to-end encryption. Therefore, all parties in the processing chain will benefit from Trustwave's approach to end-to-end encryption because it will provide rapid activation, work ubiquitously and without change to existing payment applications and minimize disruption. Additionally, Trustwave's end-to-end encryption solution will present information in Trustwave's managed security portal enabling easy reporting.
"As the leading global provider of PCI DSS, Trustwave is uniquely positioned to provide end-to-end encryption," says McCullen.
About Trustwave
Trustwave is a leading provider of on-demand and subscription-based information security and payment card industry compliance management solutions to businesses and government entities throughout the world. For organizations faced with today's challenging data security and compliance environment, Trustwave provides a unique approach with comprehensive solutions that include its flagship TrustKeeper® compliance management software and other proprietary security solutions including SIEM , WAF , EV SSL certificates and secure digital certificates . Trustwave has helped hundreds of thousands of organizations-ranging from Fortune 500 businesses and large financial institutions to small and medium-sized retailers-manage compliance and secure their network infrastructures, data communications and critical information assets. Trustwave is headquartered in Chicago with offices throughout North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. For more information, visit https://www.trustwave.com/en-us/.
