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To many smaller merchants, outsourcing may not be an option. I'd suggest reading and understanding the PCI-DSS. While it may be a bit over-written and mundane, its good knowledge that can save a small, medium, or even large sized business owner a lot of Money.

Get more information on PCI-DSS here: https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org

Yes, there is proof of this. While the article is loaded with "Scare text", the warning is real. PCI-DSS compliance is required by July 1st, 2010. PCI - DSS = Payment Card Industry Digital Security Standard.

Simply put, there are 12 areas that you need to pay close attention to, and I've pasted them below.

Build and Maintain a Secure Network

Requirement 1: Install and maintain a firewall configuration to protect cardholder data Requirement 2: Do not use vendor-supplied defaults for system passwords and other security parameters

Protect Cardholder Data

Requirement 3: Protect stored cardholder data Requirement 4: Encrypt transmission of cardholder data across open, public networks

Maintain a Vulnerability Management Program

Requirement 5: Use and regularly update anti-virus software Requirement 6: Develop and maintain secure systems and applications

Implement Strong Access Control Measures

Requirement 7: Restrict access to cardholder data by business need-to-know Requirement 8: Assign a unique ID to each person with computer access Requirement 9: Restrict physical access to cardholder data

Regularly Monitor and Test Networks

Requirement 10: Track and monitor all access to network resources and cardholder data Requirement 11: Regularly test security systems and processes

Maintain an Information Security Policy

Requirement 12: Maintain a policy that addresses information security

For more information on PCI-DSS, go to https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org. Also, consider downloading the PCI-DSS, its a 60-70 page PDF with all of the information that you need on the PCI-DSS. It also contains a Self-Assessment Questionnaire that you can use to review your site or app.

As I work with ecommerce sites daily, I can assure you, PCI is not something that you want to ignore. At the same time, its not terribly difficult to adhere to the rules.

As a quick reminder, any site that is found to be non-compliant at the time of a breach could face fines into the hundreds of thousands of dollars ($ USD)