Securely downloading credit cards

From a Windows server

[kjs50]

Hello,

I currently have a shopping cart from which I create a text file to download to my local machine for order processing. I would like to download the credit card numbers as well for the orders but would like to take the proper precautions before doing so.

I'm on a shared Windows hosted machine so had a hard time doing any type of proper encryption to the credit card while downloading. I saw some software out there but it all seemed for Unix.

What I am thinking of so far is to download with the following precautions:

1) Password restrict the directory with the text file and the script that creates the text file.

2) Restrict by IP the script, but I don't know how to restrict the text file. Maybe not create a text file but only keep the results on screen would be best

Any other suggestions would be great. I'd love to figure out how to properly encyrpt the numbers and decrypt them locally. But my restriction is Windows based PHP or ASP and I don't have the ability to install software on the hosted machine.

Thanks.

[moltar]

You can use httpS (128 bit encryption). And, yes, you better password protect and IP restrict as well!

And in general, this is not a very good idea to store credit card numbers on the server, especially in a text file!

[kjs50]

The credit cards are temporarily stored on the server as I need to get the credit card somehow. I delete them frequently and have no intention of storing them on the server.

Oh yes, I forgot to mention the https connection as well.

Thanks.

[moltar]

It is still bad idea to keep them on the server.

Also try to encrypt the text file.

[kjs50]

What would you recommend as an alternative to having the credit cards on the server? I'm not sure how I could go around that step.

Thanks

[moltar]

You can use merchants that do not require to store cc on your server. All the transactions are dont through merchant and they store credit cards on their server. And they usually have a really good security, and you get a web interface access to all the data.