Strict security standards apply to the storage, processing, and transmission of credit card data. The world standard for payment card data processing is the current PCI-DSS standard. Which organizations are covered by these requirements? What are they for and how to ensure compliance, how to find out about pci certified vendors?
Security and privacy are extremely necessary components of reliable payment services when carrying out financial transactions, in particular, payments. It is important to carefully check the security of payments and use only the latest methods of effective protection of personal data when checking. The company must have an annual security certificate according to PCI DSS international standards. Compliance with current PCI DSS standards is extremely important for payment services, as this data security standard plays a key role in ensuring secure payments for the credit card industry. This standard was developed by such international payment systems as Visa and MasterCard. Online payments using debit cards involve the transmission, storage, and processing of payment card data, which increases the risk of cybercrime. PCI DSS fully protects personal data and prevents payment fraud. All organizations that accept and process debit card data at their locations must be PCI DSS compliant.
The security requirements are as follows: The PCI DSS standard defines clear requirements for organizations that carry out payment transactions over the Internet. These are 6 security zones divided into 12 stages that must be followed. Users can be sure of the security of their transactions and the confidentiality of their data when paying for services through payment gateways compatible with PCI-DSS. All payment systems and services that interact with VISA/MasterCard cards must undergo annual and quarterly inspections. The annual verification of compliance with PCI DSS information security standards regarding the storage, processing, transmission, and management of payment cardholder data consists in using only the latest technologies in the field of cryptographic protection of information so that all transactions carried out through your company are completely safe for users.
What is PCI DSS 4.0?
PCI-DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) is a standard designed to ensure a consistently high level of security in any environment where card data is stored, processed, or transmitted. The standard consists of 12 detailed instructions (grouped into six subgroups) that must be followed by various business organizations that process card data. Failure to comply with standards can lead to serious consequences, including denial of credit card service. The PCI DSS version 4.0 standard ensures the security of payment card data. This guarantees adequate protection of confidential information and guarantees maximum security in the process of making payments.
Who is covered by PCI-DSS 4.0?
PCI DSS requirements must be met by any business organization that processes payment cards, regardless of size. This standard applies to all payment acceptance channels. PCI DSS has 12 core security requirements. They can be divided into six groups. Organizations implementing this standard must: protect their corporate network. Configure your firewall and change the passwords set by the manufacturer of your network devices. Protect your card details. Encrypt and transmit card data over the network using TLS 1.1 (or higher). Close security gaps promptly. Install updates for enterprise programs and antivirus programs.
Control access to storage. Restrict access to physical data storage locations. Define an information security policy. Check your compliance and consider the algorithm of actions in the event of a hack. Monitor your infrastructure. In addition, regularly conduct comprehensive testing of all systems responsible for information security. The method of authentication depends on the volume of processed transactions. If you do not exceed an annual payment of 20,000, you can be audited by completing a self-assessment questionnaire. If you have more operations, you should contact the accreditation body. Check the theoretical part in three steps. Auditors evaluate the quality, relevance, and practicality of the information security policy. Conduct an IT infrastructure assessment. Qualified specialists conduct a series of penetration tests to simulate cyber attacks on corporate networks. This includes checking the operation of firewalls, anti-virus, and other company software. If your company passes all the tests, you will receive a PCI DSS compliance certificate.
Otherwise, the expert will provide a report on violations that must be eliminated. If significant deviations from the standard requirements are found, the entire audit process should be repeated even after the situation has been corrected. Payment service providers respond to problems in the processing of bank card data and thus receive a PCI DSS certificate. Therefore, clients do not have to undergo an audit. All you need to do is make sure that the payment service's PCI DSS compliance certificate is regularly updated.
PCI-DSS 4.0 compliance requirements
What are the requirements to be PCI-DSS certified? The standard consists of 12 key requirements divided into 6 control objectives.
Establish and maintain network security. You must install and maintain a firewall configuration that protects cardholder data without standard passwords or settings.
Properly protect cardholder data - it is important to protect stored cardholder data, and encrypt data transmission over public networks.
Maintain a payment management program - use regularly updated anti-virus software and develop secure systems and applications.
Apply strict access control measures - restrict access to cardholder data to organizations that require that type of business, assign each user a unique identifier, and restrict physical access to the cardholder data menu.
Regular monitoring and testing of the network - verification of security systems and processes, control of access to network resources, and data of cardholders.
Adherence to the information security policy - based on the security policy of employees and suppliers.
PCI DSS compliance check
To obtain PCI DSS certification, you must successfully pass an audit for compliance with all requirements of the above standards. Each certificate is issued for 12 months. After this period, the company must repeat the inspection. PCI DSS compliance audits can be performed by external certified security auditors or in-house. It depends on the number of transactions made by accepted payment cards and the total amount. The key purpose of the audit is to assess the compliance of the implemented solution with PCI DSS requirements. The server platform and infrastructure are vulnerable to attacks. Proper security is essential to the survival of your entire business. It is important to understand aspects of security as this creates a unique combination of security knowledge.
Who implemented the PCI DSS requirements?
PCI DSS requirements apply to organizations that process payment cardholder information. If your organization stores, processes, or transmits information about at least one card payment transaction during the year, it must be PCI DSS compliant. Examples of such companies are commercial and service companies (retail and e-commerce services) and service providers involved in the processing, storage, and transmission of card information (centers, payment gateways, call centers, backup media, and companies related to cards). International payment systems oblige companies to be subject to standard requirements to regularly check compliance with these requirements. In general, this standard applies to all organizations using electronic payment systems, regardless of the number of transactions.
For now, compliance with this standard is advisory and the main initiative comes from manufacturers of relevant solutions. Because this is proof that the company cares about the safety of its customers and is a way to keep them. Do PCI DSS solutions apply to ATMs? Thus, PCI DSS covers separate subsystems of ATMs that are involved in the processing, storage, and transmission of payment cardholder data. Is an audit required for PCI DSS compliance? Is there anything that links PCI DSS requirements to specific solutions (hardware, software, technology)? The PCI DSS standard does not contain requirements for the use of specific technological solutions, hardware models, and software versions. PCI DSS sets requirements for the organization of information protection processes, the functionality of information protection tools, their configuration, and application settings. The duration of the audit depends on the degree of PCI DSS coverage and the capabilities of your organization's infrastructure.
On average, the inspection takes 3-5 days (employees must come to the company's office). However, there are a few important things to consider when preparing for a PCI DSS compliance audit. It is important to consider and develop a plan that takes into account the definition of project boundaries, it takes 1-4 months. The conditions for eliminating non-conformities with standards directly depend on the current load on identified deficiencies, the development of IT infrastructure, and other projects of the financial institution are IT system. Therefore, this process can last 2 months or more. A key problem at the validation stage is the lack of documentation regarding the organization of IT activities (which complicates the definition of project boundaries and slows down the collection of information) and the presence of a large amount of software. Complex legalization, a certain lack of understanding of all the nuances of documentation regarding compliance with the standard, the lack of templates for security policy documents, and a heavy burden on organizations, all slow down the processes of preparing the inspection.
Many organizations are required to undergo an annual audit under the International Payments System's PCI DSS compliance audit program. Compliance programs differ for suppliers and service providers. Merchants that process more than 6 million card transactions per year require annual reviews. As for other service providers, the international payment system VISA is subject to an annual audit of all transaction centers and service providers that process more than 300,000 transactions per year, MasterCard is mandatory for all transaction centers and service providers that process one or more transaction.
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