Compliance with the National Insitute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication 800-171 is critical to demonstrating your security posture as a Department of Defense (DoD) contractor—helping you maintain preferred contractor status. NIST 800-171 compliance helps safeguard sensitive information such as Covered Defense Information (CDI) and Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). Read on to learn all about NIST 800-171 passing scores. (more…)
Category: Compliance Standards
Staying informed about all of the cyber security compliance standards is essential to keeping your company safe from hackers. Read on to learn about the various steps you can take to stay up to date with your industry’s compliance standards.
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Your Guide to Writing Technical Documentation
Communication is essential to the operations and success of any organization; documentation is one of the primary tools in preserving and communicating technical information. Technical documentation is used to educate personnel, record processes and policies, and report the results of audits and assessments. This technical writing 101 will examine best practices of writing technical documentation and the ways it can benefit your organization’s cybersecurity. (more…)
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PCI Compliance Key Management Requirements
If your organization processes, transmits, or stores card payment data, following the PCI key management requirements is essential to protect sensitive cardholder information. These PCI DSS guidelines provide best practices for generating, storing, distributing, and retiring encryption keys, ensuring that card payment data remains secure.
Read on to learn how your organization can implement effective key management strategies to maintain PCI compliance and reduce the risk of data breaches.
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HITRUST Levels and the HITRUST CSF Control Maturity Model
The HITRUST Alliance has helped streamline cybersecurity and compliance for companies across all industries since it was founded in 2007. It offers businesses the CSF—a unified regulatory framework that combines controls from various others into a single simplified system. (more…)
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How Long Does It Take to Get HITRUST Certified? Timeline and Factors to Consider
Organizations that achieve HITRUST certification benefit from streamlined compliance across many industries. However, the timeline for HITRUST certification depends on organization readiness and several compliance considerations. Read on for a HITRUST 101 breakdown of the certification timeline. (more…)
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What is the CCPA Breach Notification Timeline?
If your business processes data belonging to residents of California, and you meet certain size or revenue requirements, you must abide by the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). It doesn’t matter where your company is located; it can impact you regardless. A significant aspect of compliance is CCPA data breach notification. Similar to other frameworks in the US and globally, data subjects have a right to know if their information has been compromised. (more…)
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How to Implement an EU GDPR Compliant Data Retention Policy
If your organization collects, processes, stores, or transmits data that belongs to or concerns residents of European Union (EU) Member States, you are likely subject to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). One core component of the GDPR is restrictions on retention, which likely necessitates a data retention policy for compliance. Read on to learn how your organization can strategize for and implement such a policy to protect data subjects’ rights. (more…)
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SOC for Cybersecurity vs SOC 2: Key Similarities and Differences
The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) oversees several audit protocols to ensure trust in organizations. Many of these concern financial operations exclusively; others touch on information technology and cybersecurity components. Two of AICPA’s most widely applicable assessments are SOC 2 and SOC for Cybersecurity. Read on for a comparative look at SOC for Cybersecurity vs SOC 2 to determine if one or both may be apt for your organization. (more…)
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Do You Need a PCI DSS Network Diagram?
The Payment Card Industry’s (PCI) Data Security Standards (DSS) regulate the protection of cardholder data. All organizations that collect, store, transmit, or process data—termed “merchants”—must comply with DSS Requirements. And having a PCI DSS network diagram that visually represents cardholder data environments (CDE) is needed as part of your compliance efforts.
PCI DSS Network Diagrams
Network diagrams are explicitly specified within the PCI DSS subrequirements and certain annual compliance reports:
- PCI DSS Requirement 1.1.2
- PCI DSS Requirement 1.1.3
- Report on Compliance (ROC)
- Some Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) versions
The PCI DSS applies to all merchants. Therefore, all organizations subject to PCI DSS regulations must create and maintain network diagrams. However, not every merchant must submit them. Including a PCI DSS network diagram as part of your documentation depends on your yearly reporting requirements.
As a PCI compliance expert, RSI Security can assist your network diagram creation and updates, along with all other DSS adherence and reporting efforts.
What is a Network Diagram?
A network diagram is simply the visual representation of your organization’s computer network and may adopt a high-level or detailed view. A PCI network diagram must include all cardholder data environments, connected networks, and other connected IT resources in its scope.
Request a Free ConsultationNetwork Diagrams as Required by the PCI DSS—1.1.2 and 1.1.3
The PCI DSS specifies network diagrams as obligatory in Requirements 1.1.2 and 1.1.3, mandating two different diagrams:
- 1.1.2 – “Current network diagram that identifies all connections between the cardholder data environment and other networks, including any wireless networks.”
- 1.1.3 – “Current diagram that shows all cardholder data flows across systems and networks.”
Requirements 1.1.2 and 1.1.3 Testing Procedures
Beyond specifying the DSS Requirements, the PCI Security Standards Council (SSC) provides testing procedures for merchants to check and verify their compliance efforts. Requirements 1.1.2 and 1.1.3’s testing procedures require verifying that all network and data-flow diagrams remain up-to-date and comprehensive. These efforts explicitly include interviewing relevant personnel for confirmation.
Merchants should perform these testing procedures (or partner with a PCI DSS expert) periodically and following any network or CDE changes to maintain compliance.
Creating a PCI Network Segmentation Diagram
Organizations can segment—or separate via additional controls—their networks and connected CDEs to reduce PCI DSS scope and simplify their compliance efforts. To initiate and maintain this effort, a PCI network segmentation diagram is invaluable.
Proper segmentation is achieved through purpose-built or implemented control processes and technologies (e.g., firewalls). It prevents communication and connection between the CDE and an organization’s other IT environments, systems, and resources.
When creating network diagrams, segmentation technologies should be included as CDE boundaries and demonstrate that no traffic is permitted.
Network Diagrams for Annual PCI DSS Reporting
All PCI DSS-subject merchants must submit annual reporting documentation to verify their ongoing compliance. Some reports must contain network diagrams within the submitted documentation, the inclusion of which depends on an organization’s annual transaction volume and cardholder data activity.
Report on Compliance (ROC) Network Diagrams
The PCI DSS-subject companies that handle the most transactions annually (merchants processing over six million transactions across all channels, per SSC member Visa) must submit a Report on Compliance. ROCs are compiled following a thorough PCI DSS audit that must be conducted by an SSC-approved Qualified Security Assessor (QSA), such as RSI Security.
PCI DSS Network Diagram Example for ROCs
ROCs require organizations to provide two network diagrams: high-level and detailed. According to the PCI-provided ROC Template, PCI DSS network diagram example for each type must include:
- High-level network diagrams – Overall CDE architecture and network topography (summarizing all locations, relevant systems, and their boundaries), including:
- Inbound and outbound network connections and the demarcation points between the CDE(s) and other networks and zones
- CDE critical components, including relevant POS devices, systems, databases, and web servers
- Other necessary payment components
- Detailed network diagrams – Communication and connection points between in-scope networks, environments, and facilities, including:
- All CDE boundaries
- Any network segmentation points that reduce PCI DSS compliance scope
- Trusted and untrusted network boundaries
- Connected networks (wireless and wired)
- All other applicable connection points
Self-Assessment Questionnaires (SAQs) Requiring Network Diagrams
All organizations that handle fewer than six million annual transactions must complete and submit yearly SAQs. The PCI SSC provides nine different SAQ versions, each specific to business activity and cardholder data interactions.
Four SAQ versions specifically ask whether the given organization maintains a current network diagram:
- Version A-EP – For e-commerce merchants that have outsourced all payment processing to a PCI DSS-validated third party so that no cardholder data is electronically stored, processed, transmitted via their systems or on their premises.
- Version B – For merchants that only use imprint machines or standalone, dial-out terminals (with no electronic cardholder data storage).
- Version D (for merchants) – For merchants that do not meet the criteria for other SAQ versions
- Version D (for service providers) – For any service provider that a payment card brand has defined as subject to the PCI DSS and annual SAQ submission
Creating and Maintaining PCI DSS Network Diagrams
Up-to-date and comprehensive PCI DSS network diagrams are required for compliance, regardless of whether your organization’s annual reports must include them within the submitted documentation. Though already mandatory, network diagrams provide a significantly helpful reference for understanding your organization’s PCI DSS scope (and reducing it via segmentation).
RSI Security leverages our extensive experience with PCI DSS compliance as an SSC-approved Qualified Security Assessor to advise and assist organizations.
Contact RSI Security today to begin creating or updating your PCI network diagram.
Speak with a PCI compliance expert today – Schedule a free consultation
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Understanding AICPA Audits and Attestations: SSAE 16, SOC 1 vs. SOC 2, and Other Standards
Service organizations that outsource certain services must protect stakeholder information from cybersecurity risks. One of the best methods to demonstrate your ability to do so is adhering to AICPA standards and guidance (commonly assessed via SOC audits). Organizations may wonder which of the standards and assessments best suits their needs: SSAE 16 SOC 1 vs. SOC 2 or other standards? Read on to learn more about the various AICPA attestations. (more…)