PCI Compliance SAQ & Scanning
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Free PCI Scanning is it Worth it?
All businesses that sell goods or services on the internet must obtain a merchant service account. These accounts are issued by banks and financial institutions throughout the UK. But before a bank approves a new account, an online business must prove that it has a secure website that can protect the financial information of its customers. That is where the PCI DSS comes in.
What is it? The acronym stands for Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. In short, it is a set of rules that are used to ensure the safety and security of online shoppers. At present, there are three validation tools that businesses must use to prove that they are complying with PCI DSS.
The first and most common tool is the Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ). Every online business that accepts credit card payments, no matter the size, must complete an SAQ at least once a year. Because the standards are different for larger companies, there are several versions of the questionnaire. Then there are Qualified Security Assessors (QSAs) and Free PCI Scanning.
A QSA is a trained professional whose job it is to make certain that a company is complying with PSI DSS. They are typically only contacted by large corporations that fear costly fines for PSI violations.
Last but not least, there are PCI vulnerability scans. Although, it is important to note that only companies with external facing IP addresses must submit to these scans. What this means is that the merchant stores some of their client's financial data on their servers. As a result, the PCI Security Standard Council has created a rigorous set of rules that include a quarterly website scan. Due to the frequency, the council has seen to it that PCI vulnerability scans are available for free on the internet. A company need only complete the scan and submit the results to their merchant service provider once every four months to ensure compliance.