Security and Compliance

Security Compliance Maintaining tight security, including using both standard and advanced fraud detection and prevention tools, is crucial to building a successful business. No merchant can afford to overlook the need for protection against fraud and other types of abuse. Our Security Best Practices White Paper details the tools and security best practices that Authorize.Net recommends to merchants for detecting, preventing, and managing transaction fraud.

We strongly recommend you thoroughly review the entire Security Best Practices White Paper. One of the most important steps in avoiding fraud is staying educated. Here are some key points from the Security Best Practices White Paper.

At A Minimum:
1. Adhere to PCI Data Security Standard Requirements The Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard is an industry-wide program designed to significantly increase security for storing, transmitting, and processing cardholder data. Trustwave, a provider of PCI compliance services, offers discounts to Authorize.Net merchants.
2. Regularly Change Your Account Passwords You can significantly strengthen your payment gateway security by changing your password and secret question and answer at least every 45-60 days. For more information on password security, please review the Authorize.Net Password Security White Paper.
3. Require Complete Order Information You can minimize transaction fraud by requiring complete information from your customers on all orders. Address Verification Service (AVS) and Card Code Verification (CCV) are free services that can help ensure that your transactions are not fraudulent. More information on AVS and CCV can be found in the Authorize.Net Knowledge Base.

Remember, maintaining the security of your business isn’t a one-time activity. You must be constantly vigilant and effectively use the tools that are available to you. Failure to do so can result in catastrophic losses for your business. For more information, we recommend visiting the following sites:

* Ponemon Institute’s 2007 Annual Study

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