News

Heartland Payment Systems' end-to-end encryption gets thumbs up from payments players

March 25, 2010

Heartland Payment Systems says several of the world's leading electronic-payments-system manufacturers are working with Heartland to ensure their point-of-sale devices and payments platforms are secure.

According to a news release from Heartland, many leading manufacturers are integrating Heartland's E3 protocol, an end-to-end encryption solution that leverages Voltage SecureData encryption and key-management technology, into their systems. End-to-end encryption is considered the most effective security method available for protecting cardholder data.

E3 is designed to offer full lifecycle protection, Heartland says, beyond point-to-point protection and render payment data useless in the event of a compromise.

In early 2009, Heartland began working with Voltage Security to develop an end-to-end encryption solution. Today, Heartland says E3 is the only security solution that offers layered coverage — including software and hardware. E3 features a tamper-resistant POS terminal, magnetic stripe reader/wedge, and other devices and software tools that protect cardholder data and never store it on a business' system, relieving the business of PCI card data liability.

Over the past several months, Heartland has provided Uniform Industrial Corp. (UIC), Hypercom, ExaDigm and others with the E3 protocol specification.

"Heartland set out to create a new standard and make the highest degree of security available to each and every merchant regardless of size or resources — and without charging them extra fees and taxes for enhanced security," said Steve Elefant, Heartland's chief information officer. "As several of the world's leading payments equipment manufacturers move to embrace our E3 protocol, it is a testament to the security, innovation and interoperability of our solution, as well as their commitment to help secure payment data and protect all stakeholders in the payments ecosystem with the most comprehensive security solution available today."

E3 entered beta testing in June 2009 — which marked the first time encrypted transactions have been sent from a merchant's card reader to and through a major processor's payments network. The E3 solution is currently available in limited release and will be widely available in the second quarter of this year.