BluePay Blog

It seems like every week there’s a new high-profile data breach that dominates cybersecurity news headlines. Sometimes, these stories bleed into the mainstream as well.  In just the past few years alone, for example, you’ve probably heard about the following cyberattacks:   WannaCry and SamSam ransomware attacks Deloitte and Equifax data breaches Colorado Department of Transportation hack Facebook and Cambridge Analytica breach

Topics: PCI Compliance and Fraud Prevention, Small Business Tips, Enterprise Business Tips

Most phishing and malware scams follow a fairly predictable pattern:  Unsuspecting users click on suspicious links. In doing so, they unwittingly download a piece of malicious code. Once installed, that code takes over the users’ computers. The code’s creator then has unlimited access to the computers’ data. This type of malware is a very real threat, but because the malicious code is stored locally, most antivirus solutions and native security apps can detect the intrusion.

Topics: PCI Compliance and Fraud Prevention, Small Business Tips

If you’re like most people, you probably spend more time on your phone than you do on your computer. It’s easy to see why. Smartphones are small and portable. And with each successive generation, the software and hardware both become more powerful. The most recent iPhone, for example, can go head-to-head with many of the most popular laptops on the market. 

Topics: PCI Compliance and Fraud Prevention

Most brick-and-mortar businesses that accept plastic rely on heavy, static readers to process credit cards at the checkout counter. In fact, these stationary terminals have been a staple of retail for decades.  With the birth of mobile payment processing, businesses could suddenly begin accepting credit cards on the go. 

Topics: EMV, Mobile Payments, Payment Technology, PCI Compliance and Fraud Prevention, Payment Trends

Our society is comprised of the Internet of Things (IOT), where everything is digitally connected — from the smartphones we carry in our pockets to the coffee machines we use to jumpstart our days. All of this hyper connectivity is incredibly convenient — whether you want to:  Adjust your home’s temperature (even when you’re on the road)  Receive instant alerts every time your favorite stock goes up  Sync your calendars, emails and to-do lists in real time

Topics: PCI Compliance and Fraud Prevention, Small Business Tips

Three years ago this month, the credit card industry introduced new liability rules designed to reduce payment card fraud. In 2015, traditional plastic was still widely used throughout retail, but these older cards relied on magnetic stripes that could easily be cloned, manipulated or erased.  In effect, “magstripe” plastic was seen as too vulnerable. Thus, the payment industry wanted merchants and consumers to adopt EMV credit card processing.

Topics: EMV, Payment Technology, PCI Compliance and Fraud Prevention

The attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 had a huge impact on the American economy. The most obvious changes affected the roughly 18,000 small businesses that were displaced or destroyed in Lower Manhattan.  Nearly 20 years later, the effects of 9/11 persist, and they’ve forever changed how companies operate in the new millennium.  Below are five of the biggest changes businesses have made in the post-9/11 economy.

Topics: PCI Compliance and Fraud Prevention, Fun Posts

As payment technologies expand, so does fraud. Now, payment fraud knows no geographical boundaries. In fact, some countries offer a glimpse into new types of fraud that is sure to impact other countries. For example, the UK has noticed an increase in what is called authorized push payment fraud. New statistics from UK Finance found 19,000 victims of authorized push payment scams that totaled more than £100 million ($130 million) just in the first six months of 2017.

Topics: Due.com Partner Posts, PCI Compliance and Fraud Prevention

If you’ve been following our blog for a while, you know that independent software vendors (ISVs) are increasingly expected to provide their end-users with seamless payment functionality.  This isn’t an industry requirement, per se.  But if the applications you design don’t come with payment processing capabilities, then perspective customers will simply find an ISV that can provide these things.

Topics: Software and Payment Integration, Payment Technology, PCI Compliance and Fraud Prevention, ISV/VAR

Open source contamination is the bane of many independent software vendors (ISVs). If even a tiny snippet of open source code makes it into your build, the entire application might legally be reclassified as “open source.”  To avoid this, developers must invest a lot of time creating bespoke code entirely from scratch. As an ISV, there’s another type of “contamination” of which you need to be aware — one that has to do with payment security. Or more specifically, PCI compliance. 

Topics: Software and Payment Integration, Payment Technology, PCI Compliance and Fraud Prevention, ISV/VAR