How Secure Is Your Mobile POS?

One of the most common questions regarding the use of tablets and smartphones in mobile POS systems is, “How secure are they?” The answer depends on the installation.

The PCI (Payment Card Industry) list of validated applications so far does not include Apple’s iOS or Google’s Android mobile systems, but that doesn’t mean securing these systems is impossible. Participants in a panel discussion moderated by Stephen Bergeron, APG’s vice president of global marketing, at RetailNOW in early August discussed the various approaches to protecting POS data in smartphones and tablets.

One of the biggest sticking points is the potential for hacking when transaction data first enters the smartphone or tablet. Anytime data is added to a mobile device in a POS system, just about any app on the device potentially can access the data, said Adam Perella, title of security and compliance specialist 403 Labs. Even if the device itself automatically encrypts the data, there’s a moment when the data is clear text and, as such, vulnerable to hacking.

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