Personal Cardholder Information Data Security Standards [PCI DSSversion 1.1] andThe Visa Cardholder Information Security Program (PCI and CISP) are standards designed to uphold the highest cardholder data security. Both aim to secure cardholder data wherever it resides,requiring that members, merchants, and service providers maintain the highest information security standards. Compliance is required of all entities that store,process, or transmit cardholder data. NOTE: CISP has been superseded by PCI.
The PCI DSS, a set of comprehensive requirements for enhancing payment account data security, was developed by the founding payment brands of the PCI Security Standards Council, including American Express,Discover Financial Services, JCB, MasterCard Worldwide and Visa International,to help facilitate the broad adoption of consistent data security measures on a global basis.
The PCI DSS is a multifaceted security standard that includes requirements for security management, policies, procedures, network architecture, software design and other critical protective measures. This comprehensive standard is intended to help organizations proactively protect customer account data. The PCI DSS January 2005 version has been enhanced in the PCI DSS Version 1.1. The PCI DSS January 2005 version may no longer be used for PCI DSS compliance validation after December 31, 2006.
The PCI Security Standards Council will enhance the PCI DSS as needed to ensure that the standard includes any new or modified requirements necessary to mitigate emerging payment security risks, while continuing to foster wide-scale adoption. Ongoing development of the standard will provide for feedback from the Advisory Board and other participating organizations. All key stakeholders are encouraged to provide input, during the creation and review of proposed additions or modifications to the PCI DSS.
How SignaCert Addresses The PCI DSS
The core of the PCI DSS is a group of principles and accompanying requirements, around which the specific elements of the DSS are organized in the following sections.
1. Build and Maintain a Secure Network
- Requirement 1: Install and maintain a firewall configuration to protect cardholder data
- Requirement 2: Do not use vendor-supplied defaults for system passwords and other security parameters
How SignaCert adds value:
Requirements 1 and 2:
- Software measurement: Measure and affirm configuration parameters via config file validation to a central reference.
- Track and Audit changes
2. Protect Cardholder Data
- Requirement 3: Protect stored cardholder data
- Requirement 4: Encrypt transmission of cardholder data across open, public networks
How SignaCert adds value:
Requirement 3: Protect Infrastructure that stores Cardholder data from OS thru NetworkLayer
3. Maintain a Vulnerability Management Program
- Requirement 5: Use and regularly update anti-virus software
- Requirement 6: Develop and maintain secure systems and applications
How SignaCert adds value:
- Requirement 5: Validate, Audit and Track AV executables and Virus Def updates
- Requirement 6: Use SC to establish and maintain secure (positive model) systems
4. Implement Strong Access Control Measures
- Requirement 7: Restrict access to cardholder data by business need-to-know
- Requirement 8: Assign a unique ID to each person with computer access
- Requirement 9: Restrict physical access to cardholder data
How SignaCert adds value:
- Requirements 7-9: Software measurement: Validate configuration parameters and identity management applications and code
- Requirement 10: Track and monitor all access to network resources and cardholder data
- Requirement 11:Regularly test security systems and processes
- Requirement 11: Validate systems (with Audit) based on Deploy as Intended and Life Cycle monitoring.
- Requirement 12: Maintain a policy that addresses information security
- Requirement 12: Once established, the Security Policy Document itself (and directory structure for compliance docs and reports) can be monitored and validated to a trusted reference and audit method.
