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PCI DSS
Compliance

Have you ever wondered (or worried) about what happens to payment card data once a purchase is made? Probably not. The reason? We can attribute the safety of cardholder data to our unsung hero – PCI DSS, safeguarding the data – or so you’d hope. Are you PCI DSS compliant?

Here’s everything you need to know about PCI DSS, what it means for your business, and what you need to do to comply with its requirements. But first, let’s start with introductions.

Automate PCI DSS now
What is PCI DSS

WHat is pci dss?

Introducing the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, or PCI DSS for short. To fully understand the framework, it’s important to take a step back to where it all started. In 2004, all five major credit card companies decided to join forces and use their powers for good. Together they created The PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC). Their mission? To create a set of security standards for organizations that process payment information, specifically cardholder data. And without further ado, they created a security standard known as - you guessed it -  PCI DSS. 

pci dss In A nutshell

PCI DSS focuses on three main components:

Handling access

Handling access to credit card data to protect sensitive card details when collected and transmitted.

the 12 security domains

Establishing the 12 security domains within the PCI standard to ensure data is stored securely. 

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Annual validations (forms, questionnaires, external vulnerability scans, or third-party audits) to ensure the security controls are still in place.

The PCI DSS Bible

Everything to know about securing payments and cardholder data
Download the Whitepaper
PCI DSS eBook

Do you need to be PCI DSS compliant?

The big question is, who does PCI DSS apply to, and does your business need to comply with PCI requirements? Here’s the deal: PCI DSS compliance is required from any merchant or service provider that comes into contact with cardholder data, whether processing, transmitting, or storing. Although PCI DSS compliance is not mandated by law, it is still contractually required between credit brands and those handling cardholder data.

Types of organizations that must comply are:

PCI DSS compliance applies to all organizations that store, process, and/or transmit cardholder data. It covers technical and operational practices for system components included in or connected to environments with cardholder data. In summary, if you accept or process payment cards, PCI DSS compliance applies to you.

Do You Need to Be PCI DSS Compliant

PCI DSS applies to various organizations, from small businesses to larger enterprises, which is why the process of becoming compliant can’t be standardized across the board. The solve? Merchant levels. However, before we look at the different merchant levels and how they apply to your business, it’s important to establish just what exactly PCI DSS requires businesses to comply with.

That’s where the 12 PCI DSS requirements come into play.

Do You Need to Be PCI DSS Compliant

The 12 security requirements of
PCI DSS compliance

The PCI SSC developed and maintained twelve high-level requirements that guide PCI DSS compliance. These requirements are all critical security controls, and businesses are expected to implement them in order to protect credit card data. Implementing and maintaining the twelve requirements is also a prerequisite in order to get (and stay) compliant. The twelve requirements are then further broken into six control objectives, as seen in the table below: 

1. Develop and maintain a secure network to ban unauthorized access to cardholder data.

Install the relevant web filters or firewalls to protect cardholder data.​

Install the relevant web filters or firewalls to protect cardholder data.

Update and change all default security settings of configurations

Update and change all default security settings of configurations.

2. Protect CHD if stored locally or transmitted to a remote server or service provider.

Safeguard company servers or networks that come into contact with CHD.

Safeguard company servers or networks that come into contact with CHD.

Use encryption when transmitting CHD across public networks

Use encryption when transmitting CHD across public networks.

3. Create and maintain a vulnerability management program that includes security procedures, policies, internal controls, and penetration testing.

Install and manage up-to-date antivirus and malware software

Install and manage up-to-date antivirus and malware software.

Use secure protocols in all systems and applications

Use secure protocols in all systems and applications.

4. Implement strong access control measures on a need-to-know basis.

Restrict access to cardholder data by a need-to-know basis

Restrict access to cardholder data by a need-to-know basis.

Restrict access to cardholder data to authenticated users

Restrict access to cardholder data to authenticated users.

5. Continuously monitor and test physical and wireless networks to find and remediate vulnerabilities.

Limit physical access to cardholder data through physical hardware and devices

Limit physical access to cardholder data through physical hardware and devices.

Monitor all access to network resources and especially cardholder data

Monitor all access to network resources and especially cardholder data.

6. Maintain a strong information security policy and inform employees about their responsibilities to protect CHD.

Evaluate and test the effectiveness of existing security systems and processes

Evaluate and test the effectiveness of existing security systems and processes.

Maintain a policy that addresses information security

Maintain a policy that addresses information security.

Unfortunately, a brief overview of the 12 requirements barely scratches the surface when it comes to the practicality of implementing and maintaining them. So, for a deep dive into the 12 requirements, click here - PCI DSS requirements.

PCI DSS Compliance Levels

The entire process of getting PCI DSS compliant is determined by four overarching levels. Depending on the merchant level, the PCI DSS may require you to take a self-assessment questionnare (SAC) or an on-site audit (Report on Compliance).

Which level are you at?

Level  1

Level  1

Merchant Criteria:

You process more than 6,000,000 Visa transactions per year.

You’ve had a data breach or attack that resulted in an account data compromise.

You’re identified as level 1 by any card association.

Validation Requirements: 

An Annual Report on Compliance by a Qualified Security Assessor.

Quarterly network scan by an Approved Scanning Vendor (ASV).

An Attestation of Compliance Form.

Merchant Criteria:
  • You process more than 6,000,000 Visa transactions per year.
  • You’ve had a data breach or attack that resulted in an account data compromise.
  • You’re identified as level 1 by any card association.
Validation Requirements: 
  • An Annual Report on Compliance by a Qualified Security Assessor.
  • Quarterly network scan by an Approved Scanning Vendor (ASV).
  • An Attestation of Compliance Form.

Level 2

Level  2

Merchant Criteria: 

You’re within the threshold of 1 million – 6 million Visa or MasterCard transactions annually (all channels).

Validation Requirements for VISA and MasterCard: 

Annual Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ). 

Quarterly network scan by an Approved Scanning Vendor (ASV). 

An Attestation of Compliance Form.

Merchant Criteria: 
  • You’re within the threshold of 1 million – 6 million Visa or MasterCard transactions annually (all channels).
Validation Requirements for VISA and MasterCard: 
  • Annual Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ). 
  • Quarterly network scan by an Approved Scanning Vendor (ASV). 
  • An Attestation of Compliance Form.

Level 3

Level  3

Merchant Criteria: 

You process 20,000 to 1 million Visa or MasterCard e-commerce transactions annually

Validation Requirements for VISA and MasterCard: 

Annual Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ). 

Quarterly network scan by an Approved Scanning Vendor (ASV). 

An Attestation of Compliance Form.

Merchant Criteria: 
  • You process 20,000 to 1 million Visa or MasterCard e-commerce transactions annually
Validation Requirements for VISA and MasterCard: 
  • Annual Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ). 
  • Quarterly network scan by an Approved Scanning Vendor (ASV). 
  • An Attestation of Compliance Form.

Level 4

Level  4

Merchant Criteria: 

You process less than 20,000 Visa or MasterCard e-commerce transactions annually

All other merchants that process up to 1 million annual Visa or MasterCard transactions.

Validation Requirements for VISA and MasterCard: 

Annual Self-Assessment Questionnaire (“SAQ”). 

Quarterly network scan by an Approved Scanning Vendor (ASV). 

An Attestation of Compliance Form.

Merchant Criteria: 
  • You process less than 20,000 Visa or MasterCard e-commerce transactions annually
  • All other merchants that process up to 1 million annual Visa or MasterCard transactions.
Validation Requirements for VISA and MasterCard: 
  • Annual Self-Assessment Questionnaire (“SAQ”). 
  • Quarterly network scan by an Approved Scanning Vendor (ASV). 
  • An Attestation of Compliance Form.

Is PCI DSS compliance worth it?

Business is booming! That is if you’re a cybercriminal, of course. The importance of implementing robust security standards has never been more important, 48% of organizations rank targeted threats as their number one concern for 2023.

Enhanced safety and protecting your business and clients’ data against security breaches is crucial, but there are also many other benefits that come with getting (and staying) PCI DSS compliant. For starters, here are a few: 

The benefits of PCI DSS Compliance:

benefits of PCI DSS Compliance
benefits of PCI DSS Compliance

Customers are far more likely to do business with merchants they trust with securing payments. PCI DSS compliance is one of the highest security standards and proves, beyond doubt, that you’ve done due diligence regarding information security.

PCI DSS compliance creates a solid foundation and springboard toward a healthy security posture. This, in turn, streamlines the process of obtaining an additional framework that may share common security controls such as ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA, or GDPR

A data breach not only blows your reputation but also gives the bank account an equally hard knock. PCI DSS, however, reduces your potential risk of expenses. Data breaches and cyber attacks can ultimately result in costly fees, penalties, and fines. This can include anything from forensic investigation costs, to card brand compromise fees. Not to mention the loss of customer loyalty and trust. Most organizations lose roughly 40% of customers after a breach - yikes!

Naturally, the next logical step is to get PCI DSS compliant. However, with all things compliance, it’s not a one-size-fits-all process. As mentioned before, the process of getting compliant highly depends on the merchant level your business classifies under. However, there are a few general things to keep in mind that will smooth over the nitty-gritty. 

How to become PCI DSS Compliant

Although the process of getting compliant varies depending on an organization’s merchant level and security posture, the overall process can still be categorized into three simple and fundamental steps. 

Step 1: Determine your scope

This includes identifying the components and systems that need to be inside the scope for PCI DSS and that can influence or impact your cardholder data. Thereafter, you’ll need to confirm your merchant-level compliance status.

Step 2: Assess your environment

This step requires merchants to analyze their security posture and risk environment to identify any areas of exposure or where they are not in line with the PCI DSS requirements.

Step 3: Mitigate and remediate

Prioritize any risk exposure and vulnerabilities and mitigate any potential areas for threat. Set a remediation plan into action to remove vulnerabilities and meet all PCI DSS standards.

Step 4: Report

The assessor and/or entity submits the appropriate documentation according to your merchant status.

If you're reaching annual audit time, be sure that you're clued up how to prepare for your audit to ensure compliance.

It’s not all sunshine and rainbows requirements

We hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if PCI DSS were a walk in the park, you wouldn’t be reading this right now. Like any other security framework, PCI DSS comes with its fair share of challenges and roadblocks. Fortunately, this means that your business isn’t the only one finding it hard to navigate compliance. Here are businesses’ most common challenges when implementing PCI DSS (and why they prefer tagging us into the ring).

PCI DSS is very technical

Understanding and implementing the technical requirements can require heavy lifting. The tech requirements dictate the kind of technology-based protections that should be in place and the structure and process for implementing them, which can be challenging without the right guidance and tech input. 

Improper segmentation and scope

It’s important to understand that PCI DSS applies to an organization’s cardholder data scope. That’s why it’s critical to map out the data environment and implement the necessary requirements within the segmented scope. This is often a challenging process. Without the correct separation between the cardholder data environment and the rest of the system, there could be a greater threat of unauthorized access to sensitive information. 

The cost of compliance

Without the right guidance, getting PCI DSS compliant can be time-consuming and resource-intensive. In addition, it often still requires outsourcing third parties to help with certain implementation processes. Even then, managing compliance requires considerable manpower, time, and budget. In the event of one small error, it’s back to square one. 

Fortunately, you don’t have to take on the burden by yourself. We’re ready when you are. 

I'm ready for the deep dive

You’ve dipped your toes in the PCI DSS pool; now let’s head on over to the deeper side of PCI DSS and get you up to speed with everything you need to understand the requirements better, confirm your merchant level, ace your audit and rest assured you’re 100% compliant - always. This whitepaper looks at the holy grail of securing payments and cardholder data and how PCI DSS ensures secure payments and data privacy.

The PCI DSS Bible: Everything to know about securing payments and cardholder data

PCI compliance in a click

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