Effective Security Goes Beyond Protecting Card Data

The retail enterprise is under siege from all sides. While the high-profile POS data breach still gets the lion's share of attention, it is just one aspect of the cyber security war currently waging between retailers and digital criminals. In fact, stealing and selling customers personal financial information is not nearly as lucrative as other forms of cyber terrorism. Sophisticated cyber thieves ability to hijack retailers' critical systems and hold the enterprise ransom can be financially crippling for retailers.
 
The July 2016 digital issue of RIS News features a cover story on the current state of security in the retail industry and explores the growing threats to the enterprise retailers need to be prepared to meet.
 
Among the topics explored are:
 
Curbing Loss and Fraud. The October 1, 2015 EMV liability shift deadline came and went without the earth shattering disruption that many predicted it would produce. In fact, the majority of retailers missed the EMV deadline. While the wide scale adoption of EMV technology has yet to occur, it will, but it will not produce the desired effect of lowering in-store fraud, it will not eliminate fraudulent activity, but rather just relocate it. Fraudsters chased out of the store will find refuge in online, card-not-present transactions where a retailer’s ability to verify a customer’s identity is greatly challenged.
 
The Benefits and the Risks of WiFi. The benefits of offering WiFi to customers and employees are numerous and will continue to grow as retailers focus their effort on personalization and customer-centric solutions. Offering powerful WiFi for customer use is becoming table stakes, but also introducing major vulnerabilities to the enterprise — learn how to secure the WiFi network.
 
The New Age of Payment. While the public outcry for increased POS security has waned since the feverish pitch in the wake of well-publicized POS breaches from major retailers like Target and Home Depot, POS security remains a major concern for retailers and an area of continued investment. As retailers work diligently to provide a secure payment infrastructure, new payment methods continue to gain popularity among shoppers, and retailers are embedding them into their offerings and need to be prepared to defend valuable shopper data at all costs.
 
To view the complete security feature as well as the rest of the July 2016 digital issue click here.