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# What is a passphrase?

Clientexec tries very hard to secure your customer's information and reduce the risk of compromising that information.

Credit card information is encrypted within Clientexec once a customer enters their credit card information. Clientexec requires that you further encrypt this credit card information by adding a string word, called a passphrase, that is not stored anywhere on the server of database.

Each time a customer enters their credit card number, you must "validate" the number using a passphrase. The credit card number is encrypted using the passphrase and can not be decrypted unless the passphrase is provided. The first time you "validate" a credit card your passphrase is set.

|| Warning:  The passphrase can not be retrieved if forgotten, you will be able to recreate a passphrase but all credit cards will have to be reentered.

When processing credit card based invoices you will require this passphrase.