In response to the staggering increase in cybercrime, the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) was introduced in 2006. This set of continually updated rules and regulations was designed to protect online shoppers from internet thieves.

Since their introduction, online merchants have had a sort of love-hate relationship with the PCI DSS. On one hand, they respect the fact that the rules were meant to reduce the escalating level of online crime. But on the other, they are not keen on the constant updates. These new rules and regulations can cost online companies tens of thousands of pounds per year on security upgrades and new software.

Then there is the increasing cost of fines that are assessed to any company that is deemed non compliant. At present, these fines start at five thousand pounds per violation. Not surprisingly, banks are not big fans of PCI DSS updates either. Let us take a moment to explain.

You see, when an online merchant violates PCI DSS it is not the merchant that is fined, but rather the merchant service provider. These banks are the institutions that actually process credit card transactions for online businesses. As a result, they accept responsibility for the company's PCI status. There is just one problem. Sometimes when they receive a fine for a violation, the merchant cannot afford to pay it, which means that they are stuck with the debt. What can they do?

In short, they can make certain that all of their merchant service account holders comply with PCI DSS. Probably the easiest, cheapest and most effective way to ensure this is to request a free PCI SSC vulnerability scan. These scans are the most direct and comprehensive way to validate the security of a website. And because they are free, most companies do not mind.