The US-based Pulse EFT Association has installed a new internal security system designed to safeguard account information when consumers use their debit cards at ATMs or to make purchases using point-of-sale terminals.
The upgrade uses Atalla A10,000 hardware encryption devices which also increase the speed at which account information is authenticated and transactions are processed.
The transition to the new equipment occurred during the early morning hours of Sunday, in accordance with detailed plans drawn up at the beginning of 2000. Live cutover was sanctioned after the network verified that processing and recovery functions worked correctly.
The Pulse system links an estimated 45 million cardholders with more than 46,000 ATMs and 254,000 point-of-sale terminals throughout the United States.