In today’s world of actively developing e-commerce in various industries, the industry of ensuring the appropriate level of security of customer payment information is an extremely valuable and necessary process. Penalties for failing to maintain payment security are quite high, and many are at risk, especially companies with thousands of active customers. The last thing you want to do is be responsible for a payment data breach. This can cause significant damage to your business, the damage is the imposition of numerous fines on you, a data leak will cause significant damage to your reputation, and your brand will be associated with low security. There are two key ways to prevent breaches in this process: tokenization of payments and encryption of payments. In addition to the obvious inconvenience to the company and consumers, in 2006 the credit card network created a data security standard for the payment card industry (known as the current PCI Compliance standard). Failure to use encryption or tokenization to transmit sensitive payment information could result in you receiving a significant fine or being banned from accepting credit card payments. Tokenization is extremely common in 2023, and for good reason. Popular mobile payment systems such as Android Pay and Apple Pay have recently attracted a lot of attention due to the use of tokenization tools and are the most efficient way to securely transfer payment information. Here is best data security products and services.
What is the credit card tokenization process?
During credit card tokenization, the cardholder’s confidential account number is replaced by an algorithmically generated cryptographically random or irreversible number. This authorized number is known as a “token”. Through credit card payment tokenization, retailers can distribute tokens over the Internet or wireless networks to process credit card payments in a completely secure manner, preventing any leakage of confidential information. All this without having to provide the cardholder’s actual account number. Your bank or network stores your real bank account information in a secure place called a vault. Hackers cannot find and compromise storage on retail sites, so your information remains completely safe. Today’s booming credit card industry created tokenization to provide an extra layer of protection against hackers stealing sensitive personal information, with the key goal of preventing credit card fraud. These tokens are similar to the new “chips” used by credit card issuers to prevent credit card theft when making payments at brick-and-mortar stores.
Key principles of the tokenization process
Tokens are automatically generated from your account number for one-time use on a specific website or channel. The generated token is sent to a secure token store. It can simply be outsourced (must be PCI compliant). Tokens are downloaded to the mobile device as part of the virtual card profile. An NFC device or a connected channel initiates the process of making a successful transaction at a point-of-sale (POS) terminal. The outlet uses the card as the card number instead of the customer’s PAN number. The POS terminal sends the token to the receiving bank, which then sends it through the payment network to the issuing bank. The issuer tokens the token and verifies it with the actual PAN number. Then the transaction is confirmed if it matches. The card issuer’s response is sent back to the POS terminal using the token as a reference to the card. The card issuer’s response for verification is sent to the POS terminal and is accompanied by a token that acts as a unique identifier for the transaction. Tokens cannot be parsed. They are generated randomly, so there is no algorithm associated with them (unlike payment data encryption methods). The move to tokenization can significantly reduce controls, significantly reducing the time it takes to complete various payment transactions. The tokenization process can be implemented at a lower cost than the process of encrypting payment data. Your PAN will never be disclosed. The original card number is subject to verification by the participating bank.
Examples of active use of credit card tokenization
Tokens are so popular in e-commerce that you’ll come across credit card tokenization processes more often than you think. When a site holds your card for recurring payments or subscription billing, the site uses tokenization and its tools. Another common example is the one-click option. The best example is Amazon. Not only are you sharing your payment-sensitive information, but it’s also all done with tokens. NFC payment. NFC payments, which occur through such well-known resources as Apple Pay and Android Pay, are also token-based. Popular mobile wallets transmit payment information from your smartphone to the nearest merchant terminal. A token is an exchange of information. When you upload your credit card details to your mobile wallet, the information is sent to your bank. The bank replaces the account information with a randomly selected coin and sends the coin to the merchant. Sellers never hide your real account information.
Payment tokens and encryption
What is encryption and why is it important? The process of encryption is a general term for any technique that encodes data so that it can be decrypted if necessary. Think of it as a secret language where only the person with the correct key can decipher the original information. Organizations need to change keys to maintain security. The customer’s Permanent Account Number (PAN) is displayed at certain points during the payment process. Why is tokenization better than encryption? For decades, companies have heavily used encryption when they needed to send private messages or transmit sensitive information in an unsecured environment.
Tokenization is an extremely popular process in 2023, as it is a cheap, highly efficient, and secure way to protect confidential information. Encryption is mathematically reversible and uses a cryptographic key. This process requires companies to decrypt the keys. Tokens have a special format that fits into the traditional credit card space, tokens are a centralized solution and offer flexibility that allows payment companies to actively use tokens for returns, payments, recurring payments, and more. When tokens are created using irreversible cryptography, they are mathematically irreversible, have no cryptographic keys, never reveal the user’s personal account number, and are worthless if stolen by hackers. Modern tokenization is the best way to reduce your vulnerability to security issues.
Why is the tokenization process the most useful for users?
With the help of effective tokenization, it is easier to prevent any kind of fraud. One of the most important benefits for consumers in the event of a breach is the regulation of the tokenization of payments between payment devices. There is no one-size-fits-all solution for all credit cards. In case someone steals your smartphone that has a mobile wallet that you are actively using, all you have to do is cancel the tokens associated with that smartphone. This is a huge, key benefit of tokenization for today’s consumers. In addition, some mobile applications that use tokenization tools also send payment information, saving users time when entering information.
The future of assets is in the digital sphere
Assets are increasingly divided into smaller units, called tokens, via the blockchain. This is a huge opportunity. When someone says that the concept of tokenization is easy to understand, it’s either because they don’t want to scare you with a complicated explanation, or because they don’t understand it themselves. It is worth understanding what destructive potential tokenization has for financial and other industries. Asset tokenization is primarily based on the Ethereum blockchain.
This means that two concepts have already been mentioned that need clarification. A blockchain is a database where data is linked in a way that makes it extremely difficult or impossible to manipulate. Blockchain is organized in a decentralized manner. Anyone can submit data in the form of information, programs, or digital contracts. It still has nothing to do with tokens. Tokens can be created using digital contracts known as “smart contracts”. A smart contract is a software stored on a blockchain. It works as an if-then condition and has its address in the blockchain. This can be used, for example, to define key properties. The condition, in this case, is that when a certain number of tokens arrive at an address in the smart contract created by the seller, the sender address will receive a precisely defined number of tokens representing the ownership stake. By associating the token with the owner’s address in the blockchain, the owner can receive part of the income.
Your transfers can also be automated using smart contracts. The objection is that the process is automated with very little administration. The key idea is that there are no more middlemen. Contracts are unbreakable, they are self-executing, and only software is required. Tokenization also offers investors new, profitable prospects. Tokens can be sold for almost any small value, allowing investors to allocate them and purchase the corresponding ownership rights. Many tokens can be traded on decentralized blockchain-based exchanges without much overhead. High allocations also allow you to diversify a very small investment portfolio at lower costs.
The phenomenon of tokenization significantly contributes to the transparent and secure transfer, storage, and authentication of important confidential data. Tokenization has been an integral part of the crypto industry for years. The ability to create utility tokens, governance tokens, and NFT tokens allows crypto projects to derive a variety of key benefits from the security of an established blockchain. In addition, token standards such as the ERC-20 standard allow different tokens to follow the same rules, even if their uses are vastly different.
Tokens play a key role in cryptocurrency derivatives, on-chain management, staking, and more. This means that almost any real asset can be tokenized and tracked on the blockchain. However, the idea of tokenization evolves according to real use cases. Examples are data tokenization, proof of ownership, securities, and financial instruments. Thus, the technologies responsible for tokenization are evolving at an extremely active pace to meet the current requirements of changing security paradigms. In addition, sophisticated financial instruments and asset tokenization allow issuers to program the unique properties of their assets with 24/7 availability. In addition, these tokens can significantly improve the efficiency and transparency of traditional markets and the field of online payments. The key concept of tokenization is not limited to blockchain technology.
The first attempts to protect consumers’ data were made in the financial industry in the 1970s: companies often use various cryptographic functions to convert information such as credit card details or social security numbers into alphanumeric strings. This creates a single icon that represents individual user data. However, when it comes to blockchain, tokenization offers a wider range of key benefits for different purposes in different industries.
Summarizing all of the above, it is important to understand that a token is a cryptographic representation of an asset. Tokenization is the most efficient method of converting valuable items into tokens that can be actively used in cryptocurrency applications. These tokens can be physical assets such as gold and commodities or intangible assets such as licenses, and proofs of ownership. Asset tokenization can help increase transparency and increase market liquidity. Tokenization also provides a consistent investment vehicle that lowers barriers to entry for new investors. In addition, data tokenization removes many of the limitations of traditional data protection methods.
