Safestone » Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard

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).

Control Objectives	Solution
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 DetectIT Network Traffic Controller
Regularly monitor and test networks Track and monitor all access to network resources and cardholder data Regularly test security systems and processes	DetectIT Security & Detection Risk & Compliance Monitor
Maintain an information security policy Maintain a policy that addresses information security	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)

You can also view the following Compliance Solutions:

The Americas Headquarters
Safestone Technologies Inc
1364 Welsh Road
B1, North Wales
PA 19454 USA

European Head Office
Safestone Technologies Ltd
Unit 25 President Buildings
President Way
Sheffield, UK
S4 7UR