How to Become PCI DSS Compliant?
Penalties for non-compliance
Fines for PCI DSS violations vary between $5,000 to $100,000 per month until the violation is resolved.
Key PCI DSS compliance levels
Each card brand has its own table of compliance levels, but most criteria are the same. Also, if you’ve been qualified as a merchant of a certain level by one card issuer, this qualification applies to other issuers as well.
Additional criteria you should take into account
Visa and Mastercard have additional criteria mapped to these PCI DSS compliance levels
Visa
If you work only with this system, you can exclude prepaid, debit, and credit card transactions from independently-owned and operated merchant locations if those transactions aren’t processed by the corporate entity
Mastercard
Requires merchants to comply with level 1 PCI DSS certification in case they have been hacked or involved in an account compromise event
Validation criteria for PCI DSS levels
PCI DSS validation criteria depend on the merchant level. The higher your level, the stricter the security audits you need to pass. You should confirm PCI DSS compliance every year.
The validation methods and processes applicable to each level
PCI DSS goals
PCI DSS outlines six cybersecurity goals, which you should take to make your company comply with those requirements.
Apriorit experts` tips on reducing the cost of PCI DSS compliance
Though cutting expenses on security can lead to harsh consequences, there are several ways to lower the cost of PCI DSS compliance without risks:
- Cut down the PCI DSS scope
- Use infrastructure from a PCI DSS managed service provider
- Perform an internal audit before certification
Therefore, PCI DSS offers a set of cybersecurity requirements, compliance levels, and validation procedures. Though all requirements are well-defined, the first PCI DSS assessment can be tricky even for an experienced security team. Also, annual recertification is a time-consuming process.
For all companies who needed to go through this procedure, we prepared a detailed guide on how to implement security controls in accordance with PCI DSS. Check it here: https://bit.ly/3FBWXFS
