Compliance with the PCI DSS framework is crucial to keeping cardholder data (CHD) safe from security threats. Outsourcing PCI compliance management will help your organization to comply with the PCI DSS Requirements year-round. Read on to learn about the benefits of partnering with a PCI compliance services provider.
Why Should You Outsource PCI Compliance Management?
Regardless of your organization’s current security posture, the PCI DSS requires you to keep cardholder data safe during all stages of its processing. Outsourcing your PCI compliance management is an effective way to remain up-to-date with PCI security standards, even as cybersecurity risks evolve. To establish why, this blog will explore:
- An overview of the PCI DSS v4.0 framework
- The benefits of outsourcing PCI management
- Considerations for outsourcing PCI management
Partnering with an experienced PCI compliance specialist will help you implement data security best practices across your organization and meet applicable PCI compliance requirements.
What is the PCI DSS?
The Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standards (DSS) framework was established to help organizations secure cardholder data during its collection, processing, storage, or disposal. Compliance with the PCI DSS Requirements enables these organizations to implement internationally recognized best practices to secure data from cybersecurity threats.
Considering the high value of cardholder data (CHD) and sensitive authentication data (SAD), organizations that handle this information must comply with PCI requirements to reduce data security risks. Without proper safeguards, card payment transactions remain vulnerable. Merchants and other organizations involved in processing payments face ongoing threats of cyberattacks and data breaches if they fail to implement adequate protections. That’s where the PCI DSS comes in.
Breakdown of the 12 PCI DSS Requirements
The most current version of the PCI DSS, v4.0, comprises 12 PCI compliance requirements whose guidelines secure sensitive PCI data, minimize security vulnerabilities, and strengthen data security oversight. Broken down, these 12 Requirements include:
- Requirement 1 – Establish network security controls
- Requirement 2 – Configure secure system components
- Requirement 3 – Safeguard stored account data
- Requirement 4 – Keep CHD safe during transmission over open, public networks
- Requirement 5 – Secure systems from malicious software (malware)
- Requirement 6 – Establish secure systems and software
- Requirement 7 – Limit access to sensitive data environments by business need to know
- Requirement 8 – Identify and authenticate user access to sensitive data environments
- Requirement 9 – Implement physical access controls to CHD
- Requirement 10 – Develop access logging and monitoring controls for sensitive data
- Requirement 11 – Implement routine network and system testing
- Requirement 12 – Establish information security policies and programs
Your organization’s cardholder data environment (CDE) and infrastructure—components, people, and processes—determine which PCI DSS requirements apply. You may need to comply with several or all of them. If your organization handles sensitive CHD outside the scope of these requirements, you’re likely increasing your risk of cyberattacks and data breaches.
And with the help of a PCI compliance partner, you will be well-positioned to adhere to the PCI compliance guidelines in the short and long term.
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Benefits of Outsourced PCI Compliance Management
Whether you are new to PCI compliance or have significant experience with the DSS framework, it can still be challenging to remain fully compliant with the PCI DSS guidelines year-round. As card payment technologies evolve and data security risks broaden, your organization will likely require external guidance on implementing PCI best practices.
Outsourcing PCI management will help relieve your internal team from common challenges organizations typically encounter along the compliance journey.
Let’s dive into some of these benefits:
1. Faster Segmentation of In-Scope and Out-of-Scope Components
As your organization handles CHD or SAD, it helps to know which system components are in-scope or out-of-scope for PCI DSS to ensure you meet the PCI requirements.
Components in scope for the PCI DSS are those found within sensitive CDE or connected to these environments. On the other hand, out-of-scope components are not located within or connected to PCI CDE. However, some out-of-scope systems may be connected to CDE but with restricting controls to prevent access to in-scope components.
Depending on the type of sensitive CHD or SAD your organization processes, it may be challenging to effectively distinguish between components in scope and those outside of it.
Working with a PCI compliance management services provider will help you conduct a system-wide inventory of components such as:
- Payment processing systems (e.g., payment terminals, gateways, storefront systems)
- Security systems (e.g., authentication servers, security information and event management (SIEM) systems)
- Segmentation systems (e.g., network security controls (NSCs))
- Virtualization components (e.g., virtual appliances, switches, routers)
- Applications and software components
- Network components (e.g., routers, wireless access points)
An ongoing system inventory will help determine which components are in-scope or out-of-scope for PCI DSS. And a PCI advisor’s guidance will streamline the segmentation of components out-of-scope for PCI DSS from those in scope, minimizing risks to sensitive CDE.
2. Optimized PCI Compliance Change Management
As your organization grows, you will likely experience gradual changes in system processes and sensitive data environments. If these changes are poorly managed, CDE may be continuously exposed to risks, which could develop into actual threats that impact data sensitivity.
For5 example, PCI DSS Requirement 6 mandates keeping your systems and software secure, especially where vulnerabilities are concerned. To keep CHD and SAD safe at all times, the guidelines pertaining to PCI compliance change management must be developed and overseen by an existing security policy.
Partnering with a PCI specialist will help you manage changes related to:
- Adding, removing, or modifying system components within CDE
- Planning and processing system changes
- Engaging stakeholders around best practices for implementing system changes
- Maintaining robust and reliable security controls during process changes
Outsourcing PCI change management will help streamline vulnerability management and lower the overall risk of cyberattacks. A PCI partner equips your organization to handle changes that could negatively impact sensitive data security.
3. Robust Security Testing and Vulnerability Assessments
Per PCI DSS Requirement 11, organizations that handle CHD and SAD must regularly test their security systems to identify potential vulnerabilities and risks to these data. Whereas your organization can implement various security testing methods, some may not be as effective or robust as others.
Outsourcing PCI compliance management to an experienced PCI DSS compliance partner will help you identify the most appropriate security testing tools, methods, and processes to keep CHD and SAD safe in the long term. When identifying and addressing security vulnerabilities, PCI management will help you conduct internal and external vulnerability scans at the appropriate frequency.
For instance, PCI DSS Requirement 11.3 mandates that internal vulnerability scans be conducted:
- At least once every three months
- To resolve high-risk and critical vulnerabilities
- Using up-to-date vulnerability scan tools
- Based on the latest vulnerability information
However, your organization’s unique security posture may require more frequent scans. And, looking internally, you may not have immediate access to the most up-to-date vulnerability scan tools or the latest security information. Working with an Approved Scanning Vendor (ASV) on implementing security testing and vulnerability assessments will help you adhere to the PCI compliance guidelines as best as you can—keeping your CHD and SAD safe in the long term.
Likewise, the PCI DSS penetration testing requirements stipulate performing these tests internally at least once every 12 months. Organizations must conduct penetration testing after making significant changes to PCI infrastructure or applications. This is especially true when those changes could impact sensitive data security.
Considering how crucial penetration testing is to identify high-risk vulnerabilities early on, the PCI DSS recommends a qualified internal resource or external third-party conduct the pen tests. Independent pentesters are more likely to conduct effective tests and identify additional vulnerabilities than internal personnel.
4. Guidance on Developing a PCI Security Policy
Even the most robust security systems and infrastructure can fail with poor oversight. That’s where a PCI security policy comes in.
PCI compliance becomes much easier for your organization to achieve if your existing security policy is established with the guidance of a PCI management partner. Your organization’s executive leadership sets the guidelines, and this policy implements them at the grassroots level.
As technology evolves, so do the assets used to collect, process, store, or dispose of cardholder data (CHD). A well-defined policy helps all employees align on best practices for managing these technologies.
A PCI compliance partner can help you draft clear, actionable policy guidelines, including simple “dos” and “don’ts” for handling sensitive PCI data. Organizations then deploy these acceptable use policies across all devices that process sensitive data—laptops, tablets, mobile devices, and wireless access endpoints.
Developing a PCI security policy alongside an experienced advisor also drives greater accountability. It ensures that both internal and external stakeholders follow DSS compliance guidelines.
Once your organization defines specific responsibilities by role, a PCI partner can recommend structural changes that support long-term compliance.
Most PCI advisors have worked with a wide range of businesses. That experience allows them to map out the most effective, efficient paths to achieving and maintaining full DSS compliance.
5. Preparation for PCI Compliance Reporting
The PCI DSS framework also requires organizations to report on how they achieved PCI compliance each year. PCI compliance reporting is based on the PCI levels, which are determined by individual Security Standards Council (SSC) Members.
Depending on your PCI Level, you may be required to report PCI compliance using one or more of three types of reports:
- Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) – The SAQ helps merchants to self-evaluate their compliance with the PCI DSS Requirements. Completing the SAQ involves answering a set of “yes” or “no” questions. Then. submitting these responses along with an Attestation of Compliance (AoC).
- Report on Compliance (RoC) – Completing the RoC also evaluates an organization’s compliance with the PCI DSS Requirements, especially if it handles large amounts of card payment transactions annually. The RoC is typically completed by a Qualified Security Assessor (QSA) following a successful on-site audit of an organization’s PCI compliance.
- Attestation of Compliance (AOC) – Like the RoC, the AoC demonstrates that an organization has successfully complied with applicable PCI DSS Requirements. An SSC-certified QSA completes the process by verifying and attesting to an organization’s PCI compliance
The SAQ, RoC, and AoC each come with unique nuances and requirements. Accurately completing these reports can be challenging without expert support. Partnering with an experienced PCI specialist helps ensure your organization meets all requirements on the path to full DSS compliance.
PCI compliance management partners like RSI Security provide expert guidance on PCI best practices. They also deliver QSA and ASV services to help your organization secure CHD and SAD for the long term. As your organization grows, outsourcing PCI management to a reputable PCI DSS partner allows you to focus on daily operations without worrying about data security risks.
Failing to comply with PCI DSS requirements puts your organization at greater risk. Noncompliance can lead to cyberattacks and data breaches involving CHD and SAD. These incidents often carry serious legal, financial, and reputational consequences.
Considerations for Outsourcing PCI Management
When outsourcing PCI compliance management, you should also keep in mind that your organization will likely benefit most from these services if your internal team works hand-in-hand with your compliance partner. Both senior-level staff, like the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), and junior staff, such as help desk personnel, must actively participate in the compliance process. They need to share relevant information, provide access to data environments, and help optimize existing controls. At the same time, your PCI management partner should meet your compliance needs while posing minimal risk to data security and the broader organization.
Learn More About PCI Compliance Management
Partnering with an experienced PCI compliance specialist is the most effective way to outsource PCI compliance management. RSI Security has helped countless organizations build and maintain sustainable, year-round PCI compliance infrastructure.
Contact RSI Security today to learn more and get started!
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