Ransomware has quickly become one of the most popular methods for cyber criminals to steal your data. If your company doesn’t have proper procedures to protect from ransomware, it will be difficult to achieve PCI compliance. Failing to protecting your customers’ information with the best IT security services is one way to fail a PCI audit. Every company strives to achieve PCI compliance, but here’s what you need to know about how ransomware could put that at risk.
Customer Information Could Be Held Hostage
The worst thing that can happen to any company is to have confidential customer information stolen and held hostage. Not only could it be extremely costly to get the information back, but customers could also hold it against you, which could in turn tarnish your reputation. For these two reasons alone, the importance of having the best IT security services in place can’t be understated.
Patch Any Security Holes
Always patch any holes in your IT system or network to prevent cyber criminals from having an opening. Using managed IT solutions or running automated updates frequently could keep your patches current. You can determine any potential holes by running frequent risk assessments. These assessments can determine where vulnerabilities are so the proper protection can be installed.
Manage User Access and Create Awareness
Believe it or not, internal employees are often the culprits for opening the door to a data breach. Whether those employees are disgruntled or have other motives, it’s important to give users access to customer information only when they need it.
In general, from a PCI compliance perspective, it’s always valuable to educate employees on IT security safety as well. Many times a data breach occurs because of an accident from an employee who didn’t realize they were clicking on a malicious link or document.
Have a Backup to Help With PCI Compliance
Using managed IT solutions services is a great way to have a backup to maintain PCI compliance. These services can help keep patches up to date, constantly run risk assessments and even provide valuable information to pass on to employees to help keep confidential data safe. Ransomware is not something to take lightly, so using the best IT security services is critical.
Single Point of Contact is experienced in dealing with ransomware infections and prevention. Be sure to contact us to see how we can help you prevent a ransomware attack and maintain the PCI compliance you work so hard to achieve.
