Kuwait-based Gulf Bank said it has achieved the Payment Card Industry (PCI) – Data Security Standards (DSS) compliance for secure management of its card holder information and the prevention of credit card fraud.

The compliance was completed on schedule, at the end of 2011, said the bank in a statement.

The certification was achieved after an extensive independent audit of Gulf Bank Systems, operations and processes conducted by SISA Information Security, a qualified security assessor from PCI Security Standards Council.

The Bank cleared six distinct security pillars in order to achieve PCI – DSS compliance, namely, building and maintaining a secure network, protecting cardholder data, maintaining a vulnerability management program, implementing strong security measures, assessing networks frequently, and maintaining an information security policy.

The standards are endorsed by all the major global payment brands, including Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover Financial Services and JCB International. 

Husain Mairza, chief information officer, said: "Our latest achievement of PCI – DSS compliance emphasizes the bank’s overall strategy to protect its customers’ card information and enhance their payment methods generally."

"We are proud to have achieved the coveted certification on schedule, which adds to our 2011 accomplishments," he noted.

Sudhir Mundkur, deputy general manager - Information System Security and Quality Assurance at Gulf Bank said: “Information Systems Security is a journey of continuous improvement involving people, processes and technology working together in concert.

"Achievement of the PCI – DSS compliance represents a very big and important step forward on this journey and underscores Gulf Bank’s commitment to the goal of providing a secure computing environment to serve our customers," he added.-TradeArabia News Service