Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Is CDU Compliance the future of ecommerce?

At the end of today's rambling you will have a clear understanding of exactly how the vast majority of the world's credit card fraud can be terminated.

Not quite the same as disclosing the cure for cancer but considering highly sensitive credit card and identity data theft and credit card fraud are all considered the electronic cancers of our day and age, then perhaps pretty close.

It is called CDU (Critical Data Unlpugged).

Have a read of that section and you'll end up with the knowledge that has either completely eluded the mega-billion dollar online payment processing industry or perhaps is being quietly ignored by choice.

But first let me make the important point that CDU (Critical Data Unplugged) is not an official data security standard. It is not enforceable by any established authority.

CDU (Critical Data Unplugged) is a genuine local initiative to term the absolute fool-proof security practice of terminating the core root reason why the vast majority of critically sensitive and private information becomes available to be compromised in the first instance.

It's all about promoting the complete removal of all critically sensitive and highly confidential data from being permanently stored online, in any database, network, storage device or internet connected system. When data doesn't exist it can't possibly be stolen.

The force behind the new CDU initiative originated directly from Police and law enforcement authority advice to the general public and business communities on how to guarantee total and absolute protection for all forms of critically sensitive information in the internet connected world, not just credit card and identity data.

Police and law enforcement authorities don't mess around. Keeping people safe and secure is their purpose, they are not motivated or influenced by what makes money or what doesn't make money.

There will perhaps always be card skimming type scams (or similar), or wallets and purses being stolen, but in reality the fraud derived from credit cards stolen from these methods represents only a very small portion of credit card fraud today

By far the real issue is internet borne theft of sensitive data and fraud perpetrated on the internet.

The overwhelming majority of the world's stolen credit card and identity data can be traced back to that data being compromised (hacked, copied, stolen etc.) when permanently stored online, within payment processing systems, on e-commerce websites, from networks, from storage devices or from internet connected systems.

Real time credit card payment processors have the unenviable reputation of being "where it's at" for hackers, cyber criminals and online criminal gang syndicates intent on stealing big numbers of credit card details. And with the possibility of huge numbers of highly sensitive credit card details permanently stored within their systems, its like a red flag to a bull, the perfect made to measure pot of gold target for online criminals.

Same is the case with any website, online storage device or anything similar that permanently stores sensitive credit card and identity data. However ....

1. When data doesn't exist it can't possibly be stolen or compromised.
2.  Without any credit card or identity data being stolen or compromised then credit card fraud would dry up to a trickle.

The understanding of those indisputable and fundamental facts and the bold preparedness to implement ground-breaking practices, policies and processes based on them has the potential to turn dreams of a world without credit card fraud into an absolute distinct possibility.

This is what CDU (Critical Data Unplugged) is all about. 

We live in a world of electronic devices, where internet systems, networks and online storage appliances are very much a part of how the business world operates. For many businesses it would simply not be possible to operate effectively if they no longer stored sensitive information within their systems.

However, this is absolutely no excuse to throw in the towel on efforts to end credit card and identity data theft and to halt online credit card fraud.

CDU security practices are being adopted, by choice, by people and many businesses courageous enough to move away from permanently storing sensitive data on internet connected systems, storage devices and networks in order to afford themselves and their customers with by far the most effective data protection ever proposed in this age of the internet.

e-Path is one such company.

To learn how e-Path came about, see: About e-Path Pty Ltd.

By venturing well in advance of established automated architecture and mechanics and by operating to CDU security ideals, e-Path is able to deliver a brand new method to accept credit cards online that is now closer than ever before to achieving the 'Holy grail' in online cardholder data security ...

You can't thieve something that doesn't exist.

And there rests the key to a future without credit card fraud.

... just a thought
----------------------------------------
Peter Thwaites
E-PATH CREDIT CARD PAYMENT GATEWAY

No comments:

Post a Comment