payShield 9000 HSM validated to Cartes Bancaires banking security standard
Thales, leader in information systems and communications security announces that its payShield 9000 hardware security module (HSM) has been validated to MEPS, (Methode d’Evaluation des Produits Securitaire “bancaires”), a security approval scheme used by the Cartes Bancaires (CB) banking ecosystem.
MEPS is an approval scheme used by the French banking industry. It was developed by CB, an inter-bank and universal system of card payments and cash-withdrawals. CB represents more than 8 billion transactions, some 130 banks or member payment institutions, 1.2 million merchants in France and nearly 60 million cardholders. Cryptographic security equipment intended for use by the member banks on their dedicated payment networks must be certified as meeting the standards laid down under MEPS.
Thales payShield 9000 is deployed worldwide to help ensure the security of global payments systems. It protects PINs and the cryptographic keys used in Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs), Electronic Funds Transfer at Point of Sale (EFTPOS), and interbank settlement schemes. payShield 9000 is certified to many national and international standards in addition to MEPS, including FIPS 140-2 level 3 and PCI HSM. It also conforms to the global requirements of the credit and debit card schemes such as MasterCard, VISA, JCB and American Express.
Vincent Marfaing, Thales vice president in charge of information technology security activities says:
“As the leading provider of payments security, Thales has long championed best practices and industry standards and MEPS certification for our payShield 9000 demonstrates our commitment to achieving both nationally and internationally recognized standards and compliance requirements. It is vital that our customers have a high level of confidence in the products they buy and independent review of a product’s security properties is a powerful tool in building that confidence. MEPS approval now allows the Cartes Bancaires banking community to take full advantage of our award-winning payShield 9000 HSM to protect their payments networks”.
Products intended for use on the banking networks in France are submitted for evaluation by Groupement d’Intérêt Economique des Cartes Bancaires (GIECB). This involves the submission of detailed design documentation and other information about the security mechanisms implemented. The evaluation seeks to determine that the product as a whole provides sufficient security against attacks against the payments infrastructure.
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