One of the most effective ways a company can determine the security of a card processing platform is to undergo a penetration test. These are required for PCI compliance, and merchants conduct them annually to identify vulnerabilities to preempt malicious hacking attempts. In a standard penetration test, administrators make their best effort to compromise a network in the manner of cybercriminals, thereby revealing which areas might be sensitive to a breach. 

Mark Burnette of Net Security says penetration tests allow merchants to use the tools of hackers to help fortify existing systems. Rather than waiting for criminals to discover vulnerabilities in your payment card processing system, penetrating them yourself first can allow companies to double down on security. 

"In the course of the test, you might replicate hacking attempts by human experts as well as malware intrusions. The goal is to evaluate your systems' ability to withstand the attacks. You can think of a penetration test as a fire drill with an actual (controlled) fire, helping you identify any points of weakness in your network before the bad guys do."

Many merchants don't have the capability to carry out a penetration test themselves, so they work with third-party security experts to conduct one each year. If your company is on high alert against breaches, you might determine that doing this semiannually or quarterly (or simply as needed) is most appropriate. On this blog, we've discussed how fewer than one third of companies remain compliant between PCI audits, so constant vigilance is critical to safeguarding your data. 

The key to an effective penetration test is that it is robust. This means it takes into account the many ways that hackers attempt to compromise electronic payment systems. Contact us today to learn more about PCI compliance.