PCI DSS, short for Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, is a set of security standards for all companies that process, store, or transmit credit card information. Complying with these standards not only helps organizations avoid hefty fines, but also prepares them in dealing with increasing levels of risk and fraud around online payments.
Finding the right balance between safety and ease of purchase can be tricky in the case of online purchases, and these industry guidelines are designed to help.
Millions of compromised credit card details are available for sale on various dark web marketplaces, making “card not present” fraud one of the most accessible ways for malicious actors to steal. Preventing this activity is exactly the goal of regulations like PCI DSS, as they help organizations implement security measures to protect payment information.
The latest version of PCI DSS, 4.0, was first published by the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) in 2022, and it became mandatory this past spring. This article will tell you everything you need to know about the latest updates, and explain how you can future-proof your compliance efforts.
Understanding PCI DSS 4.0
Complying with PCI DSS 4.0 involves implementing 51 new controls. The goal of these updates is to mirror the way technology and the threat landscape has changed over the last years. Here’s a summary of some of the key changes that organizations should be aware of.
Perhaps the biggest change is that security awareness training has become a mandatory measure that IT teams must conduct at least once per year. The goal of a security awareness program is to teach employees about potential vulnerabilities and threats, particularly relating to social engineering attacks like phishing.
Additionally, all users with access to cardholder data must implement two-factor authentication (2FA). In the past, only administrators were required to use 2FA. The minimum password length requirement was also raised from eight to 12 characters.
Under PCI DSS 4.0, there is an increased emphasis on securing the entire ecommerce transaction process, particularly regarding third-party scripts. These scripts, often used for functionalities like analytics, payment processing, or customer interaction, can be a potential vector for attacks. Companies now must actively monitor third-party scripts to prevent unauthorized changes and signs of malicious code.
Best practices for future proofing compliance
While adhering to so many requirements can seem overwhelming, especially with the latest update, breaking down the compliance process into manageable best practices can make things a lot easier. It’s also impossible to predict when the next policy updates will come and what their requirements will be, so being mindful of the general trends underlying the logic of these policies can be helpful.
With these trends in mind, here are some essential best practices for PCI DSS compliance that should put you in good position for years to come.
Be careful when storing sensitive cardholder data. The first tip is to minimize the storage of this type of data in the first place, unless it’s absolutely necessary. If you do need to record these details, it’s best to destroy cardholder data as soon as the transaction completes and the data is no longer needed for business or legal purposes.
Additionally, the data that you do have should be protected with encryption both at rest and in transit, and monitored for any type of unauthorized access or suspicious activity. Authentication card data like CVV codes or PINs should be off limits and erased as soon as a transaction completes. Having this data exposed doesn’t only mean you’ve breached PCI DSS, but will also put you in legal hell with regulatory bodies and potential lawsuits from individuals.
Monitor and control access to your systems. The more stringent regulations regarding access rights we discussed earlier mean that robust access control mechanisms are absolutely necessary for compliance. Access privileges should be regularly controlled and updated, in addition to requiring more complex passwords and 2FA.
Take control of all code scripts on your payment pages. Having third-party scripts as part of your payment process may enhance your and even the customer’s experience, but also introduces security risks. PCI DSS doesn’t outright prohibit the use of such scripts, but it does ask that you implement strict controls to manage them.
Subresource Integrity (SRI) is one method that allows you to ensure the integrity of third party scripts by allowing browsers to verify that the fetched scripts have not been tampered with.
Be ready to respond to a breach. Regardless of how many security controls you have in place, an incident may still happen. While suffering a breach may be an indicator that you weren’t fully compliant with all best practices, how you respond to it is also crucial for compliance.
Every organization must have an incident response plan that will notify the necessary bodies, and quickly contain the threat before it does more damage. Having such a plan in place also shows regulatory bodies that you’re committed to security, which may reduce penalties and maintain consumer trust.
One element that was introduced with PCI DSS 4.0 and will likely continue down the line is the bigger emphasis on proactive security measures, rather than point-in-time checks or periodic assessments.
This aligns well with a proactive security approach like zero-trust, which grants users the minimum access necessary to perform their duties, and continuously verifies their access rights to ensure they’re appropriate and accurate.
Adopting zero-trust as a standard for your organization may introduce some challenges, such as the need for technical resources and training, and the pain of going through a complete culture shift regarding security. But the sooner you make this transition, the easier it will be to adapt to future regulatory changes and evolving threats.
Conclusion
In a world where cybercriminals are constantly taking advantage of the ecommerce boom, with millions of exposed credit cards on the dark web, PCI DSS emerges as a critical guide for organizations to protect the sensitive payment data of their customers.
PCI DSS 4.0 does an excellent job at taking into account the increasing complexity of payment environments and the overall threat landscape to shift organization toward a more proactive security approach that’s necessary to combat modern threats.
