PCI DSS for Software Developers
A simple view of how to tackle PCI DSS 4.0 from a developer perspective and accelerate compliance
Overview
Let’s face it, with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) 4.0 weighing in at 356 pages plus, it can be a bit daunting for the average software developer who isn’t quite conversational in the art of cybersecurity. That said, PCI DSS is an important standard and set of requirements used to evaluate and benchmark the state of security for payments. PCI DSS contains a mix of requirements for software developers, product managers, cybersecurity professionals, finance, and other support staff, so you might consider it a whole company initiative. My aim in this article is to map PCI DSS requirements to software development and make it easier to know how to plan for software security decisions.
One caveat, there are a myriad of PCI standards and if your company is building payment software or other related software that requires PCI SSC compliance, this article won’t touch on that set of use cases. As with most things in cybersecurity, context matters and it is worth engaging your Qualified Security Assessor (QSA) to ensure you’re on the right track.
