In recognition of its compliance with standard practice in cards management and having implemented all security controls to protect cardholders’ information, the Council of Payment Card Industry (PCI) has re-certified Sterling Bank plc barely one year after it was certified by the Council.
The payment card industry consists of all the organisations that store, process and transmit cardholder data, most notably for debit cards and credit cards. The security standards are developed by the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council, which develops the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards used throughout the industry.
The PCI Council re-certifies financial institutions who have fully complied with all security controls on cards management to reassure customers of such institutions of safety of their information with the bank.
Shina Atilola, the bank’s group head, strategy and communications, disclosed to newsmen in Lagos that the recertification of the bank by PCI’s Council was a testimony of the bank’s resolve to adequately protect information about its customers from going into wrong hands.
Atilola explained that Sterling Bank as a responsible financial institution has put in place the right mechanisms to ensure non-disclosure of information about customers to unauthorised persons and ensure that information is not compromised at any point in time adding that the Bank will continue to uphold the tenet of confidentiality, integrity and availability in the handling of information of its customers.
“At Sterling Bank we have deployed tools to improve the security of information about our customers and the Bank, and create security awareness among internal and external customers on how to secure their must imbibe. Existing staff are also taken through the training from time to time to remind them of what is information. Sterling Bank is investing heavily in information security to protect the interest of customers. We have also come up with information security policies and guidelines that contain acceptable practices that new staff expected of them in terms of information management. This is in a bid to mitigate internal risk to information security breaches,” he said.
He however advised organisations in the country as well as individuals to protect information about themselves carefully to avoid the use of such information for criminal activity. According to him, Nigerians must continue to see the need to dimension the risks associated with information leakages and avoid treating sensitive information with levity.
Atilola observed that the care free attitude of some Nigerians concerning their personal information was a key contributor to the incidence of frauds related issues in the country
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