Account information security
The security of cardholder account data has become one of the biggest issues facing the payment card industry.
Visa and MasterCard created the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) – a set of industry-wide requirements and processes, which are supported by all international payment card systems.
In September 2006 the standards were handed over to an independent industry organisation, the PCI Security Standards Council, made of representatives from all stakeholders in the card industry - banks, service providers, vendors and merchants). The council now owns the security standards and their development.
PCI Security Standards Council website
The purpose of PCI DSS is to ensure that valuable cardholder account data is always secure. It is intended for any organisation that stores, transmits or processes cardholder account and transaction data – merchants, acquiring banks and related service providers.
All these organisations must now comply with these new standards to protect cardholders’ data. And this, in turn, minimises the organisation’s own financial and reputation risks.
Visa is here to help.
We have created a compliance programme called Account Information Security (AIS), to help organisations to implement PCI DSS.
AIS: Visa’s compliance programme – information and advice for all organisations that accept or process card payments.
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