Compliance with version 3.2 of the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a must for organizations that handle, process, transmit and store payment card data. But compliance isn’t always easy to establish or maintain. Indeed, there are certain challenges along the way that can make organizations’ compliance with PCI DSS 3.2 superficial and short-lived.

To beat those challenges, organizations need to go beyond the checkbox and pursue PCI compliance as a continuous process. One of the ways they can do this is by mapping the six objectives and 12 requirements in version 3.2 of the Standard to the Center for Internet Security’s Critical Security Controls (“the CIS Controls”). In so doing, organizations can learn where they need to adjust their efforts to maximize the efficacy of their digital security programs.

Below is a breakdown of how certain CIS Controls, in particular, can help with achieving and maintaining PCI compliance.

PCI Objective #1: Build and Maintain a Secure Network

Under the first objective of PCI DSS 3.2, organizations must build and maintain a secure network by fulfilling two requirements:

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

Five of CIS Controls can help organizations fulfill this objective and its two attending requirements. Companies can start with Control 5 to secure the configurations of their hardware and software. If they implemented Control 5 successfully, organizations will be equipped to fulfill Control 11 and achieve secure configurations for network devices. They can then use Control 7 to ensure email and web protections, including the use of only fully supported browsers and email clients. On top of those measures, organizations can perform regular automated port scans and manage all devices remotely logging (Read more...)