Cybersecurity in payments: the measures you need to know for safe transactions

Nowadays online transactions are part of the daily life of almost everyone: shopping, paying for services, bank transfers—all through various digital channels. So these payment gateways serve as intermediaries between merchants and financial institutions, facilitating the flow of electronic transactions.

In this regard, payment gateways are prime targets for cybercriminals looking to exploit vulnerabilities. That's why it's important to protect the financial and personal data submitted into a digital environment.

In this article, we will explore the main cybersecurity challenges that payment gateways face and analyze different methods to prevent fraud and maintain the integrity of financial information.

Top 3 security challenges faced by online payment gateways

Data breaches

One of the most significant threats to payment gateways is the risk of data breaches. Cybercriminals often attempt to gain unauthorized access to sensitive financial information, putting both merchants and consumers at risk. To counter this, encryption protocols and multi-layered authentication mechanisms are essential.

Fraudulent transactions

Payment gateways are susceptible to fraudulent activities, including unauthorized transactions and identity theft. Implementing advanced fraud detection systems, real-time monitoring, and machine learning algorithms can help identify and prevent fraudulent transactions promptly.

DDoS Attacks

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks can disrupt the normal functioning of payment gateways by overwhelming their servers with traffic. Employing strong DDoS mitigation strategies and investing in scalable infrastructure is key to ensuring uninterrupted service during an attack.

Key Security Measures: Recommendations for preventing fraud

PCI DSS Compliance

Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) Compliance consists of a set of security standards designed to ensure that all companies accepting, processing, storing, or transmitting credit card information maintain a secure environment. Adhering to PCI DSS standards is fundamental for payment gateways to protect cardholder data and prevent potential breaches.

End-to-end Encryption and Tokenization

Implementing end-to-end encryption (E2EE) and tokenizing sensitive data adds an extra layer of security. Encryption ensures that data is unreadable even if intercepted, while tokenization replaces sensitive information with unique tokens, reducing the risk of exposure.

In E2EE, data is encrypted on the sender's side and only the recipient can decrypt it. This is often implemented using asymmetric cryptography, where a pair of public and private keys are used.

Example: TLS (Transport Layer Security) is widely used for securing communications over the internet. In online payment gateways, HTTPS, which is based on TLS, encrypts data during transit.

Data at Rest Encryption

Encrypting data when it is stored adds another layer of protection. Full disk encryption tools like BitLocker or FileVault can be employed.

Example: Encrypting credit card details stored in databases using technologies like Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) in Microsoft SQL Server.

Tokenization

During the tokenization process, sensitive data like credit card numbers are replaced with unique tokens. A mapping system is used to associate tokens with the original data securely stored in a separate, highly protected environment.

Example: Payment gateways tokenize credit card information to minimize the risk of exposing actual card numbers. The original data is securely stored in a Token Vault.

Strong Authentication Methods

Enforcing strong authentication methods for both merchants and consumers enhances the security posture of payment gateways. This additional layer of verification adds an extra barrier against unauthorized access.

These are the strongest authentication methods:

Time-Based One-Time Password (TOTP)

A time-based code generated by a token or mobile app. It changes every 30 seconds, providing a short-lived authentication factor.

Example: Google Authenticator or Authy generating TOTP for accessing payment gateway accounts.

Biometric Authentication

Utilizing fingerprint, iris, or facial recognition for an additional layer of user verification.

Example: Mobile payment apps employing fingerprint recognition along with a PIN.

Adaptive Authentication

Adjusting the level of authentication based on risk factors such as location, device, or user behavior.

Example: If a user attempts to log in from an unfamiliar location, a stronger authentication method may be triggered.

3D Secure

3D Secure is an additional layer of security designed to protect online credit and debit card transactions. It adds an extra authentication step, usually a password, to verify the identity of the cardholder during the transaction process. Implementing 3D Secure adds an extra level of protection against unauthorized transactions and enhances the overall security of payment gateways.

The 3D Secure protocol (like 3D Secure 2.0) prompts users to enter a one-time password or use biometric authentication.

Example: During an online transaction, a pop-up window requests the cardholder's authentication, verifying their identity.

3D Secure can help reduce the risk of chargebacks by providing evidence of customer authentication. While the main challenge of this protocol is balancing security with a seamless user experience to avoid cart abandonment during the authentication process.

Regular Security Audits

Conducting regular security audits and vulnerability assessments is key in identifying and addressing potential weaknesses in the payment gateway system. Proactive measures help stay one step ahead of cyber threats.

Collaboration with cybersecurity experts

It's important to connect with cybersecurity experts and keep up with the latest threats and ways to tackle them, like getting insights from SET and 3D Secure. Teaming up with pros in the industry helps us stay ahead of the game when it comes to cybersecurity, adjusting to the always-changing nature of online threats.

By understanding the specific challenges and implementing strong security measures, businesses can build trust with customers and make sure financial transactions stay safe and sound.

At Strike, our mission is to assist companies in maintaining strong security measures. Whether you're navigating compliance requirements such as the achievement of PCI DSS certification or seeking professional advice in the cybersecurity field across various formats like web and apps, don't hesitate to reach out to us. We're here to provide the support you need to keep your business safe and secure.