A Shared Secret is a string used to create a digital signature (referred to as a "hash") which is provided with every request to and from the system to ensure the integrity of the transaction data and to authenticate the sender as being the legitimate account holder.
It is known only to parties involved in a secured communication. In this case the card reader and the merchant share a secret key with Handpoint. It can be a password, a paraphrase, a long number or a string of randomly chosen characters (for example: HIJK, 23kjdvDFS, 5678, etc). It must be set up by you or a designated person after we create an account for you for the first time.Each merchant account has its own shared secret that is used to verify that the information transmitted along the path from the card reader to the processor remains secure and between the parties involved. It is known by both sides communicating, but is never actually sent, hence why it is called a secret. It is known only to you (the merchant) and other parties involved and approved by you (i.e. your developer or a member of staff).
...