PRESS RELEASE

Vienna, VA " March 19, 2009 " Cloakware Inc., the provider of proven software solutions for securing consumer and enterprise digital assets, today identified the top five pitfalls that the retail industry needs to be aware of when it comes to protecting their most valuable asset " cardholders' personal data.

"Many retailers have neglected to secure their payment systems and processes," said Richard Stiennon, founder of security advisory firm IT-Harvest. "Without a diligent approach to managing credentials and privileged access, retailers leave themselves vulnerable to data loss incidents, which are happening far too frequently."

Recognizing the need for stronger protection against security threats, the Payment Card Industry (PCI), a consortium of retail and credit card leaders, published Data Security Standard Version 1.2 (PCI DSS V1.2), outlining best practices for protecting privileged card data. Understanding the intricacies of PCI guidance, Cloakware has outlined the top five common missteps retailers fail to address, leaving them susceptible to data breaches: