In today’s digital age, protecting customer data is non-negotiable. This is standardized through PCI compliance (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard or PCI DSS). But, what are PCI requirements?
It’s a set of global security standards for businesses that process debit, credit, and prepaid card transactions. It’s also applicable to organizations that store or transmit cardholder data. PCI DSS compliance protects cardholder data and prevents payment fraud by handling how debit and credit card data is received from customers, storing that data securely, and validating that security controls are in place.
The PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) governs PCI compliance but doesn’t have legal authority to enforce compliance. However, credit card companies can impose fees for non-compliance on businesses that fail to secure cardholder data properly.
Let’s explore the top PCI compliance requirements every business must meet to prioritize the safety of customers’ data, establish trust, and build long-lasting relationships with customers.
Top PCI Compliance Requirements Your Business Must Meet
Let’s explore both operational and technical requirements set forth by PCI SSC that you must meet to protect cardholder data.
1. Install and Maintain a Firewall
Firewalls are a first line of defence that blocks access to unknown or foreign entities trying to access private data. They are effective in preventing unauthorized access. That’s why a firewall’s proper configuration, in addition to routers if applicable, is essential to maintain a secure network.
2. Ensure Password Protection
Ensuring proper password protection includes enforcing strong passwords with a mix of characters (letters, characters, and numbers), a minimum length, and regular password changes every 90 days. This ensures that only authorized individuals access sensitive information depending on the principle of least privilege.
3. Avoid Default Vendor Passwords and Settings
This PCI compliance requirement mandates that you change all factory default and pre-set passwords and security configurations to unique and strong passwords on all your systems. These can include applications, network devices, routers, and servers. Default security settings pose significant security risks as they are often easy to guess.
4. Encrypt Transmitted Cardholder Data
Your business must encrypt cardholder data when transmitting it across open and public networks. This means that whenever sensitive cardholder information is sent over the Internet or any public network, a secure encryption protocol must be used to protect it from potential interception by cybercriminals or malicious actors. The encryption must be considered ‘strong cryptography’ that complies with industry standards and recommended key lengths.
5. Use and Regularly Update Antivirus Software
Using antivirus or anti-malware programs and regularly updating them is essential to maintaining security and protecting cardholder data from theft. Regularly updating antivirus software can help you defend against known malware threats and reduce the risk of data breaches. Ensure an antivirus software is installed on all systems within the network, including servers and workstations. You should also maintain updated virus signatures to ensure the antivirus program can detect the latest malware variants.
6. Restrict Access to Cardholder Data
Imposing restrictions means only authorized individuals with a ‘business need to know’ should have access to sensitive cardholder information. This implies that you must implement a ‘least privilege’ approach where access is limited to the minimum necessary for each user to perform their job functions. You can achieve this through role-based access controls (RBAC) and strict access management practices.
You must restrict physical access to areas where cardholder data is processed, stored, and transmitted. Implement security measures like locked doors, video surveillance, security badges, keycards, security cameras, etc.
7. Assign Unique User Access IDs
According to this PCI compliance requirement, every individual who needs access to cardholder data within a system must be assigned unique, distinct, and identifiable usernames or IDs. This helps identify which user acted on sensitive cardholder data, ensures accountability and proper audit trails for user activity, and makes it easier to track potential data breaches. You must also implement a system to manage user access levels and permissions.
8. Create & Monitor Access Logs
You must track, monitor, and record all user access to any system containing cardholder data. This allows your business to identify suspicious or unusual activities, potential security issues, unauthorized access to sensitive information, and other issues. Logs should capture details like user ID, accessed systems, timestamps, actions performed, and any data accessed. Access logs should be linked to user accounts to ensure accountability for actions taken and maintained for a specific period to facilitate necessary investigations.
9. Maintain Secure Applications and Systems
Secure coding practices and frequent updates are essential to protecting systems from vulnerabilities. Your network should also be regularly tested to identify and patch potential weaknesses.
10. Establish Policies Employees
Establishing policies to address information security for all employees is an essential PCI compliance requirement. It should cover secure network access, password management, data protection, access controls, incident response procedures, and regular security awareness training. This ensures everyone understands their responsibility to safeguard cardholder data.
How Do You Become PCI-Compliant?
Meeting PCI compliance requirements can entail several benefits for your business. These include a reduced risk of data breaches, enhanced customer trust, improved brand reputation, and the prevention of customers’ identity theft. You can also potentially avoid any legal and financial penalties associated with non-compliance. However, to benefit from these benefits, you must implement the requirements for PCI compliance properly.
Here’s how you can do so.
- Understand PCI DSS Levels: Your compliance level depends on the number of annual card transactions your business processes:
- Level 1: Over 6 million transactions in a year.
- Level 2: 1 to 6 million transactions in a year.
- Level 3: 20,000 to 1 million annual transactions.
- Level 4: Fewer than 20,000 transactions in a year.
- Conduct Risk Assessments: Identify vulnerabilities in your information systems and create strategies to mitigate them.
- Perform a Gap Analysis: Evaluate your current compliance status, identify deficiencies, and implement corrective actions.
- Align Policies with PCI DSS Requirements: Ensure all processes, from data entry to storage and exit points, comply with PCI DSS standards.
- Continuously Monitor Compliance: To maintain compliance and reduce operational risks, regularly test your systems, update your policies, and adopt new security measures.
Conclusion
Meeting PCI compliance requirements means protecting your customers’ personal and financial data and building trust in a world where data breaches can damage your business and customers. Meeting these PCI requirements can be challenging, but it’s also an opportunity to create a culture of security that benefits everyone—your customers, your team, and your business.
Protect Your Customers’s Data with Imagine IT
Imagine IT is a leading provider of managed IT support services and cybersecurity solutions. As a regional provider of IT support in Minneapolis, Wichita, Sterling, Zeeland, and Garden City, we offer next-gen cybersecurity solutions tailored to meet the unique needs of your business. Our approach aligns technology with strategic business goals and emphasizes the importance of strong cybersecurity measures. Contact Imagine IT today to protect your customers’ data from hackers and malicious entities.
