The Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council has issued guidelines for applying its protocols to wireless technology.
The Wakefield, Mass., group, which administers the PCI standard, said its DSS Wireless Guidelines, released last week, would help merchants incorporate wireless networking gear without compromising security.
The council also formed a special-interest group, chaired by Doug Manchester, the director of product security at VeriFone Holdings Inc., to create recommendations for companies to increase wireless security in accordance with the PCI standard and reduce the potential for wireless systems to become an entry point for hackers.
The Wireless Guidelines includes nine requirements and provides guidance and installation suggestions for testing or deploying wireless local area networks. They "will help all in the payment chain, but particularly merchants, to better understand the methods necessary to secure their wireless network or totally remove the networks from the scope of the DSS and the payment process," Manchester said.
