Security PS Vulnerability Scanning Service Earns Approval from MasterCard & Visa

Overland Park, KS – July 31, 2006 – Security PS, a thriving independent application and network security consulting firm, revealed today that the firm's security vulnerability scanning service is now approved by MasterCard and Visa. The StrategyScan Payment Card Industry (PCI) service allows companies that process credit cards to both meet new industry requirements and eliminate serious computer security risks.

The PCI Data Security Standard is the global standard created by Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover to ensure the protection of sensitive customer information. It mandates that companies implement basic security measures that protect both the company and its customers. This standard applies to all companies that use, store, or process credit cards.

Internet applications expand the reach of companies to do business online, but it also increases the risk of security threats from hackers who wish to steal information or commit fraud. Enforcement of the standard was hastened following several large and public online compromises of credit card merchants like Petco, Guess, and Ziff Davis Media. Experiencing a security incident is both expensive and harmful to a company's reputation.

To measure the security of credit card data the PCI standard combines vulnerability scanning of merchant Internet servers and an assessment of their security practices. Larger businesses must perform quarterly vulnerability scans, while smaller merchants need only perform one annual scan. Companies that fail to meet the standard face the penalty of fines or a complete revocation of their credit card processing capabilities.

To comply with the standard a company must hire a third-party compliant network security scanning vendor to conduct these security checks. An approved vendor ensures that vulnerability scans are conducted in a consistent and comprehensive manner. To become an approved vendor, the Security PS StrategyScan PCI service was used against a MasterCard test network that evaluates the accuracy and quality of its finding. The Security PS methodology for communicating with clients and creating reports was also reviewed during the approval process.

With the Security PS StrategyScan PCI service, a company can proactively protect their payment system data and reputation against the threat of hacker intrusions. Clients are provided with a detailed technical report of any problems and an executive summary that informs management about whether their organization meets the minimum security requirements. Any detected vulnerabilities are assigned clear severity ratings that allow clients to easily prioritize efforts to fix security problems.

"By proactively identifying and offering solutions to remedy vulnerabilities, our scanning solutions are a great way to reduce the risk of intrusion and data compromise," said William Witbrod, Director of Security Compliance at Security PS. "A return on investment for our StrategyScan PCI compliance solution is easily achieved."

Security PS is conducting free roundtable events in Kansas City and surrounding areas in order to raise awareness of the PCI requirements. These roundtables bring together both client personnel and industry experts to share information on compliance planning. To attend one of these roundtables, or learn more about the StrategyScan PCI service, please email Security PS at info@securityps.com or call us at +1 (877) 977-7462.