The TransArmor® solution by First Data is an extremely efficient and effective security measure that has been designed to reduce the risk of theft or interception of credit card data making its way through the electronic payment network.
The key to the effectiveness of TransArmor® is the fact that it combines high tech encryption (software or hardware based) with a random number tokenization. This assures protection of sensitive information delivered when a credit card is swiped by a customer through a credit card terminal, or when the information is input online. The data is protected at every level. The reduction of the risk of a data breach is remarkable due to the double layered protection.
The TransArmor® solution was created when First Data, VeriFone Systems and RSA (the security division of EMC) partnered to create the most effective security system for the prevention of data theft.
The credit card data protection comes in the form of double layers of protection. Not only is the data encrypted, but once the card is authorized, the information is removed from the merchant’s environment and is replaced by a token number that is generated randomly, which is useless to would-be criminals. Once the card data is removed, there is nothing to be stolen or extracted, as it no longer exists in the payment card environment.
The tokens that are left after the transactions are helpful to merchants, as they can still track the card data to analyze the behavior of their customers.
The TransArmor® solution is flexible enough to be used by merchants, who can select the type of encryption they want based on their specific needs. In many instances, they can utilize their existing credit card acceptance equipment.
When a customer makes a purchase using a credit card, the data must travel many roadways and circuits to make it to the “approval” or “denial” stage. With every road traveled, the information is that much more vulnerable to being intercepted. In 2011 over 30 million data records of consumers were extracted because of data breaches in the U.S. No merchants are immune to these breaches, as thieves continue to develop more sophisticated methods of data extraction from the payment system. However, thanks to TransArmor®, it is bound to be drastically reduced.
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