Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard

Any organization that processes, stores or transmits payment card data must be compliant according to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).

Set up by the major credit card suppliers (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover and JCB) this standard is extremely stringent and considered one of the more comprehensive data security standards. Levels of compliance validation are defined based on the volume of transactions, potential vulnerabilities and exposure into the payment system by merchants and service providers.

The Business Challenge

Organizations, such as retail merchants, online payment processors and banks, must protect cardholder information and prevent credit card fraud and other security vulnerabilities.

The PCI DSS Solution

The PCI DSS specifies 12 requirements for compliance, grouped into 6 IT ‘control objectives’.

Safestone’s industry-recognized modular solutions can ensure that these 12 requirements are met on a continual basis.

The following table outlines the 12 requirements for PCI DSS compliance and the specific modular Safestone product that addresses each standard for System i (iSeries) (OS/400).

Build and maintain a secure network

Install and maintain a firewall configuration to protect cardholder data
Do not use vendor-supplied defaults for system passwords and other security parameters

DetectIT Network Traffic Controller
DetectIT Risk & Compliance Monitor

Protect cardholder data

Protect stored cardholder data
Encrypt transmission of cardholder data across open, public networks

DetectIT Network Traffic Controller

Maintain a vulnerability management program

Use and regularly update anti-virus software
Develop and maintain secure systems and applications

DetectIT User Profile Manager

Implement strong access control measures

Restrict access to cardholder data by business need-to-know
Assign a unique ID to each person with computer access
Restrict physical access to cardholder data

DetectIT Network Traffic Controller
DetectIT User Profile Manager

Regularly monitor and test networks

Track and monitor all access to network resources and cardholder data
Regularly test security systems and processes

DetectIT Security Audit & Detection
DetectIT Risk & Compliance Monitor

Maintain an information security policy

Maintain a policy that addresses information security

DetectIT Risk & Compliance Monitor

Despite the threats of fines and a recent rash of high-profile data breaches, the rate of PCI compliance is estimated to be less than 50 percent. In fact, according to a report by industry analyst firm Gartner, Inc., Visa USA indicates that, as of July 2007, 39 percent of level-one merchants (defined as those that process more than 6 million transactions annually) and 33 percent of level-two merchants (defined as those that process between 1 million and 6 million transactions annually) are compliant with the PCI Data Security Standard. (1)