Data Protection in PCI DSS 4.0 – What You Need to Know to Be Compliant

Data Protection in PCI DSS 4.0 – What You Need to Know to Be Compliant

Anastasios Arampatzis

Data protection and security are essential to achieving and maintaining Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliance. PCI DSS is a set of security standards to ensure that all companies that accept, process, store, or transmit credit card information maintain a secure environment. Although the latest version, PCI DSS 4.0, does not require data loss prevention (DLP), such a tool can help financial entities discover, monitor, and control their data stored within the organization and prevent threats to the cardholder environment.

DLP solutions, such a Cyberhaven, are among the most valuable technologies available for PCI DSS compliance. As their policies apply directly to sensitive data rather than devices or the entire network, they enable cardholder information to be identified, logged, and controlled to meet PCI DSS requirements. Companies can establish efficient data security policies that address identified issues rather than taking a broad compliance approach by knowing where data is stored and how it is used. A vulnerability targeting strategy protects data more effectively and helps companies save money by ensuring that the solutions they choose are necessary.

DLP solutions can help organizations comply with most PCI DSS compliance requirements in the following ways:

• Protecting stored cardholder data.
• Restricting access to the cardholder based on business need.
• Monitoring and monitoring access to network resources.
• Periodic safety and system tests.

PCI DSS compliance is required for every business with banks or credit cards. DLP tools can bring organizations closer to compliance by helping them discover, monitor, and control where their data is stored and how it is used and transmitted.

Let’s examine how comprehensive DLP solutions can help comply with specific PCI DSS 4.0 requirements.

Requirement 3: Protect Stored Account Data

The third requirement of PCI DSS focuses on safeguarding stored cardholder data. To comply, businesses must first identify where the data is located on their systems and how it is accessed and transferred. DLP solutions can help by scanning the entire network to discover sensitive data and determine how it is stored and used.

DLP solutions use predefined policies for standards such as PCI DSS, so companies do not have to create policies from scratch. This allows for efficient data security policies that address specific issues rather than a broad compliance approach. By knowing where data is stored and how it is used, companies can establish a more effective vulnerability targeting strategy, which saves money by ensuring that the chosen solutions are necessary.

DLP solutions can control the transfer and storage of sensitive data at company endpoints, preventing its transmission over the internet through unprotected channels or to unencrypted removable devices. Companies can define allowlists of approved targets, such as company-issued encrypted USBs or email addresses. This approach provides better protection for data and reduces the risk of data breaches.

Requirement 7: Restrict Access to System Components and Cardholder Data

Ineffective access control rules and definitions can lead to unauthorized individuals accessing critical data or systems. To ensure that only authorized personnel have access to essential data, it is crucial to have systems and processes that limit access based on job responsibilities and a need-to-know basis.

Businesses can meet Requirement 7 mandates by leveraging DLP content discovery scans to verify and enforce restricted access to sensitive data. These scanning tools can detect sensitive data on unauthorized devices and take immediate action to remediate the issue by either deleting or encrypting that data.

DLP can also accurately identify all file shares that contain unencrypted cardholder data, thereby mitigating unauthorized access by encrypting the data or moving it to an appropriate repository with proper access controls. Thus, organizations can ensure that authorization policy violations are detected and addressed promptly.

Requirement 10: Log and Monitor All Access to System Components and Cardholder Data

Companies must monitor essential system components and report all security events under PCI DSS requirement 10. Logging mechanisms and the ability to track user activities are critical in preventing, detecting, or minimizing the impact of a data compromise. Logs on all system components and in the cardholder data environment (CDE) allow thorough tracking, alerting, and analysis when something goes wrong. Determining the cause of a compromise is difficult, if not impossible, without system activity logs.

Antivirus software can provide security event logs, but data loss prevention (DLP) solutions are more effective in demonstrating a firm’s ability to protect its data from intrusions. DLP solutions can offer logs of attempted illegal transfers and how they were addressed, which is crucial for ensuring the security of sensitive data. Companies can also use these logs and reports to make informed decisions about the technologies they must implement for their future data protection plan.

Requirement 11: Test the Security of Systems and Networks Regularly

Vulnerabilities are being discovered continually by malicious individuals and introduced by new software. System components, processes, bespoke, and custom software should be tested frequently to ensure security controls reflect a changing environment.

Continuous Data Loss Prevention (DLP) discovery scanning is a security measure that can be used to regularly or on-demand check the security status of an organization. It helps keep track of the locations where sensitive PCI data is stored and can prevent copying unencrypted card data to connected devices. By monitoring the movement of data, organizations can determine whether employees are following best practices or if there are any gaps in training. This can help companies to identify the effectiveness of their implemented solutions and to discover potential vulnerabilities in their data protection strategies. By identifying which policies work and which do not, businesses can improve their data protection practices and minimize risks.

By implementing comprehensive data protection and security measures and leveraging DLP solutions, organizations can achieve PCI DSS compliance, enhance overall data security, reduce the risk of data breaches, and build trust with customers and partners. Regularly assessing and improving security practices is essential to staying compliant and maintaining a robust security posture.

Anastasios Arampatzis is a retired Hellenic Air Force officer with over 20 years’ worth of experience in managing IT projects and evaluating cybersecurity. During his service in the Armed Forces, he was assigned to various key positions in national, NATO and EU headquarters and has been honoured by numerous high-ranking officers for his expertise and professionalism. He was nominated as a certified NATO evaluator for information security.

Anastasios’ interests include among others cybersecurity policy and governance, ICS and IoT security, encryption, and certificates management. He is also exploring the human side of cybersecurity – the psychology of security, public education, organizational training programs, and the effect of biases (cultural, heuristic and cognitive) in applying cybersecurity policies and integrating technology into learning. He is intrigued by new challenges, open-minded and flexible.Currently, he works as a cybersecurity content writer for Bora Design. Tassos is a member of the non-profit organization Homo Digitalis.