What is Form Security?

According to kiteworks.com, “Form Security is used on websites to collect data from users securely. They are designed to protect the collected information by using data encryption, authentication, and secure communication protocols like SSL/TLS. This prevents malicious users from obtaining or altering the data. Secure web forms are also designed to be user-friendly, with clear instructions on how to fill out and submit the form and clear labels for each data field”.

Different Types of Form Security

There is a different type of information that needs security when it comes to making forms. I will be talking about the main types of security information below. 

PII(Personal Identifiable Information)

PII or Personal Identifiable Information is another type of form security and also information that, when used alone or with other relevant data, can identify an individual, as stated by investopedia.com. PII may contain direct identifiers like passport information that can identify a person uniquely or semi-identifiers like someone’s race that can be combined with other semi-identifiers to recognize an individual successfully.

Sensitive vs Non-Sensitive Personal Identifiable Information

Sensitive PII

Personally identifiable information (PII) can be sensitive or non-sensitive. Sensitive personal information includes legal statistics such as:

• SSN
• Drivers License
• Credit card information
• Passport info
• Medical Records
• Financial information

There are so many more Sensitive PII these are only a few examples.

Non-Sensitive PII

Non-sensitive is easily accessible from public sources like, the Internet, and corporate directories. Examples of non-sensitive or indirect PII include:

• Zip code
• Race
• Gender
• Date of birth
• Place of birth
• Religion’

The above list contains examples of non-sensitive information that can be released to the public. This type of information cannot be used alone to determine an individual’s identity.

What is the Need for PII Compliance? 

Most data protection regulations obligate organizations to undertake the appropriate and adequate measures to protect all data they collect from users online. Some regulations provide detailed provisions related to what steps an organization must take. Since data leaks and breaches have been on the rise, it makes sense for organizations to invest in undertaking the best practices and measures available to protect any PII they collect. PII compliance is one way for an organization to ensure it has undertaken all relevant measures and steps to protect all its data.

 HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is another type of form security and also sets the standard for sensitive patient data protection. Companies that deal with protected health information must have physical, network, and process security measures in place and follow them to ensure HIPAA Compliance. Covered entities, anyone providing treatment, payment, and operations in healthcare and business associates anyone who has access to patient information and provides support in treatment, payment, or operations must meet HIPAA Compliance. Other entities, such as subcontractors and related business associates, must also comply. This is a direct quote from digitalguardian.com.

FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act)

According to a federal law called FERPA, educators, administrators, registrars, and other school employees in the United States are responsible for securing the student data that passes through their hands. But what is FERPA, exactly?

FERPA stands for the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, which mandates certain privacy rights regarding education data for students and their parents. The law states that parents have the right to access their children’s education records. It also forbids the sharing of that data without a parent’s written permission. When eligible students turn 18 or graduate high school, these rights pass to them.

The Importance of FERPA Compliance

Protecting students’ privacy should be a priority for any academic institution, but the need for FERPA compliance extends far beyond ethical obligation. A potential FERPA violation could lead to an investigation of the school by the DoE ( Department of Education). If found in violation of FERPA, the school under investigation could face withdrawal of federal funding from the DoE and other federal agencies. This is a significant penalty, given that federal contribution accounts for approximately 8% of the budget for U.S. elementary and secondary education.

What Is PCI Compliance?

Credit card companies mandate payment card industry (PCI) compliance to help ensure the security of credit card transactions in the payments industry. Payment card industry compliance refers to the technical and operational standards that businesses follow to secure and protect credit card data provided by cardholders and transmitted through card processing transactions.

How to Become PCI Compliant

To comply with PCI compliance some steps should be taken that are considered best form security practices. Here are 12 major steps:

1. Implement firewalls to protect data
2. Appropriate password protection (such as 2FA)
3. Protect cardholder data
4. Encryption of transmitted cardholder data
5. Utilize antivirus and anti-malware software
6. Update software and maintain security systems regularly
7. Restrict access to cardholder data
8. Unique IDs assigned to those with access to data
9. Restrict physical access to data storage
10. Create and monitor access logs
11. Test security systems on a regular basis
12. Create a policy that is documented and that can be followed

Overall, Form security which includes PII, HIPAA, FERPA, and PCI compliances are all data protection laws that should be followed to protect Users’ sensitive information. Failure to do so can result in fines, lawsuits,and much more. Web developers and Designers must make sure forms meet with guidelines and keep them secure. All this will prevent data breaches, theft, and fraud. From potential Hackers, here is a link to my blog about hacking so you can identify how to stop hackers Also while keeping your reputation safe.