See http://www.kpho.com/money/19936013/detail.html for a story in which two guys who worked at Amex were able to abscond with “thousands” of credit card number and “millions” of customer dollars.

I have two Amex cards. So I went to the Amex website to figure out if my card was somehow exposed. NADA. Not a single word anywhere on the site (perhaps I missed it?).

What is the use of PCI if one of the three card peddlers (Visa and Mastercard being the other two) reflect an attitude of indifference towards protecting MY data.

Wake up Amex CEO: Kenneth I. Chenault. I entrust you with my data. It is time for you to protect it! Mighty nice of you to harrass others with odd PCI requirements. Perhaps it is time you pass a PCI audit yourself.

/al

More important, this document lists some of the penalties and enforcement options that the Feds can use.

Summary of Federal Requirements for Securing Privately Owned IT Systems and Data

Federal policy identifies 18 infrastructure sectors–such as banking and finance, energy, public health and healthcare, and telecommunications–that are critical to the nation’s security, economy, public health, and safety. Because these sectors rely extensively on computerized information systems and electronic data, it is crucial that the security of these systems and data is maintained. Further, because most of these infrastructures are owned by the private sector, it is imperative that public and private entities work together to protect these assets. The federal government uses both voluntary partnerships with private industry and requirements in federal laws, regulations, and mandatory standards to assist in the security of privately owned information technology (IT) systems and data within critical infrastructure sectors. As agreed, our objectives were to (1) identify, for each critical infrastructure sector, the federal laws, regulations, and mandatory standards that pertain to securing that sector’s privately owned IT systems and data and (2) identify enforcement mechanisms for each of the above laws, regulations, and mandatory standards.

There are at least 34 federal laws, regulations, and mandatory standards that pertain to securing privately owned IT systems and data in our nation’s critical infrastructure sectors. Of the 34, 1 is a law, 25 are regulations, and 8 are mandatory standards. These requirements pertain to 10 of the 18 critical infrastructure sectors, including the agriculture and food; energy; nuclear reactors, materials, and waste; and transportation systems sectors. Each of the 34 federal legal requirements has at least one enforcement mechanism. These mechanisms include court injunctions, civil monetary penalties, criminal penalties, and administrative actions, such as license revocation and suspension. Typically, these mechanisms are what agencies use to enforce requirements in general, and are not necessarily specific to the requirements for securing privately owned IT systems and data.