PCI-DSS Compliance: What You Need to Know

person on laptop entering credit car information with PCI-DSS Compliance

In the past few years, many organizations including Kansas City businesses have struggled to keep their private data secure against cyberthreats as they rushed to adapt to pandemic-inspired shifts in workforce and operations. PCI-DSS Compliance became even more difficult. Cybercrime is becoming increasingly prevalent, and the sophistication and volume of cyberattacks is escalating as well. According to a report, over 300 million ransomware attacks occurred in 2020.1.

Dealing with a cybersecurity disaster is difficult and brings forth a lot of uncertainty, especially when it involves financial and reputational damage. This holds true for all organizations, and especially for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). SMBs are increasingly becoming prime targets for hackers because they consider these organizations to have insufficient expertise and resources to prevent and respond to attacks.

Now, more than ever, it is critical for business owners to protect their customers’ personal information, especially as we approach the summertime when many individuals are traveling and making purchases in new places.

This is where the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS) finds its relevance.

Why Is PCI-DSS Important?

Organizations that accept payment cards and handle, transmit or retain payment card data must comply with PCI-DSS. It is crucial for data security because practically every business accepts credit or debit cards as a form of payment.

The PCI-DSS’s directives limit the risk of credit and debit card data loss. They not only help avoid identity theft but also include best practices for recognizing, preventing and resolving data incidents.

PCI-DSS compliance also safeguards a company in the event of a data breach in which cardholder data is exposed. SMBs that comply with PCI-DSS are recognized by Visa, Mastercard, Discover, JCB and American Express, all of which are pioneers in establishing this information security standard.

Failure to comply with PCI-DSS can result in penalties that prevent a company from dealing with card data.

PCI-DSS has 12 requirements:

  1. Maintain firewalls for business devices

Firewalls efficiently prevent unauthorized entities from accessing sensitive data. These anti-hacking systems are usually the first line of protection against intruders.

  1. Change vendor-supplied passwords

Hackers can easily crack generic passwords in products like routers and point of sale (POS) terminals. To comply with PCI-DSS, organizations must change vendor-supplied passwords and keep track of password-required equipment.

  1. Encrypt transmissions of consumer data

When transferring card data over an open or public network, you must encrypt it and know where the data will be sent to and received from.

  1. Use updated antivirus software

Antivirus software must be installed on all systems, both on-site and off-site. To detect complex viral threats, you must keep them updated regularly.

  1. Protect stored consumer data

All cardholder data must be encrypted, truncated, tokenized or hashed using industry-standard techniques backed by a robust encryption key management process.

  1. Restrict access to consumer data

Access to cardholder data should be denied to anyone who does not require it for essential tasks.

  1. Maintain secure systems and apps

Safety must be ensured for systems or applications that store, process or transmit cardholder data.

  1. Make cardholder data available only on a need-to-know basis

For effective access control, you must be able to grant and restrict access to cardholder data systems.

  1. Create a unique ID for every person with business computer access

Ensure that each authorized user has a unique identifier and a complex password. This ensures that any access to cardholder data can be traced back to a recognized user, ensuring accountability.

  1. Monitor access to network and consumer data

All systems must have proper audit policies in place with logs sent to a secure central server. A daily inspection of these logs helps detect anomalies and suspicious activity.

  1. Test data security regularly

Testing on a regular basis ensures that your environment is evolving to meet the ever-changing threat landscape.

  1. Maintain a data security policy

You must have an information security policy in place that is reviewed at least once a year and communicated to all employees, vendors and contractors.

If you own a business that accepts, transmits or stores any cardholder data, you need to take PCI-DSS seriously and comply with all regulations.

Partner with Onsite Logic for Security and Compliance

When you’re trying to figure everything out on your own, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Working with a specialist can make security and compliance much easier. It gives you the benefit of having a compliance expert in your corner. We regularly conduct cybersecurity assessments and can help you verify compliance and move forward in your journey to peace of mind today. Reach out to get started today!

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