What Does PCI Compliant Mean?
PCI stands for the Payment Card Industry. They hold the standards of protection for customer information of all businesses that accept, process, store, or transmit credit card information. They do this through their data security standards or DSS. You can be charged monthly fines for not meeting PCI DSS, as well as other costs of customer data breaches. Their DSS are specific rules for what your PCI compliant password must contain, and how to keep them safe.
The Big Requirements for a PCI Compliant Password
The Big Requirements for a PCI Compliant PasswordThere are some requirements that each PCI Compliant Password must contain:
- Minimum 7 Characters
- Have both numbers and letters
- Change your PCI compliant password every 90 days
- Each new password cannot be the same as any of the previous 4 before it
Additionally, shared passwords are prohibited. Each person with access to your business’s computers must have a different password. Another looked over requirement is the obligation to use antivirus software. Not only is it necessary, but you must also actively update it.
Helpful Tips
A PCI compliant password goes beyond filling a list of requirements. The PCI DSS wants you to have the safest business possible! They have examples of passwords and how easy they would be to crack with hacking software. A simple word like “card processing” could be cracked in less than a second. A more sophisticated password, like “C@rdpr0ce$$ing” is estimated to take 344,000 years because of its 14 characters, a mix of lowercase, uppercase, numbers, and symbols. Buff up your password as much as possible!
Who’s the Safest Processor?
Don’t you want a card processor that is here to educate you about how to make a PCI compliant password, avoid any compliance fees, and gives you a fraud-fighting terminal? PayFrog is a certified reseller of PayJunction card processing. This means we are experts on PayJunction technology and have the time to be your tour guide on your processing journey. Take the virtual tour of our website to see how safety is built into every part of our business.
