Why Your Payment Processor Alone Isn’t Enough for Payment Page Security—And How to Close the Gap

Using a well-known payment processor such as Stripe, Square, or PayPal for payment processing is a strong start. They can encrypt transactions, protect against fraud, and ensure secure payment handling. But here’s the challenge: your checkout page is still vulnerable to client-side attacks before data even reaches them.

New compliance requirements, including PCI DSS 4.0, now mandate client-side script protection to close this security gap. Without it, your checkout page could be compromised—allowing attackers to intercept user data, including PII and payment details, before your payment processor ever sees it. That’s exactly what fraudsters are counting on.

Let’s break down why Stripe, Square, and other payment processors alone aren’t enough and how Page Protect ensures full PCI DSS 4.0 compliance for requirements 6.4.3 & 11.6.1.—helping you stop Magecart attacks, formjacking, and other client-side threats before they cost you millions in fines, fraud losses, and reputational damage.

The reality: You are responsible for securing your payment pages

PCI DSS 4.0 introduces new client-side security requirements that businesses accepting online payments must meet. Specifically, requirements  6.4.3 and 11.6.1 mandate monitoring of all scripts running on a payment page and detection mechanisms for unauthorized changes.

This is because attackers no longer need to hack Stripe, your backend, or your database to steal payment data. They can simply inject malicious scripts into your checkout page—through a vulnerable third-party integration, misconfigured content security policies (CSPs), or supply chain attack—and skim credit card details or customer PII before they’re encrypted.

These digital skimming attacks, known as Magecart-style attacks, are responsible for large-scale data breaches worldwide.

What this means for your business

If you only use Stripe or another payment processor without additional client-side protection, you could still be at risk of:

• Payment skimming – Attackers inject malicious JavaScript to steal cardholder data in real time.
• Formjacking – Hackers manipulate checkout fields, secretly sending sensitive data elsewhere.
• Third-party script exploits – Chatbots, analytics tools, and marketing scripts can be hijacked.

None of these are detected or blocked by the processor. Nor are they handled by many existing security solutions like WAFs that may already be deployed in front of your application infrastructure.

What payment provider services do and don’t protect for you

Online payment service providers are excellent at protecting transactions and encrypting payment data once it reaches their payment services. However, they do not protect what happens in the user’s browser or mobile app before the user data is submitted.

What payment processors protect

• Encryption of payment data once submitted
• Fraud detection for transactions
• Secure tokenization of card data

What payment processors don’t protect

• Skimming attacks before submission (Magecart, formjacking)
• Third-party script manipulation on your e-commerce site
• Continuous monitoring of the checkout page’s security
• Ensuring compliance with PCI DSS client-side protection requirements (6.4.3 & 11.6.1)

If malicious scripts or code runs on your checkout page, these processors can’t stop it because the attack happens before they receive the data.

How Page Protect closes the compliance & security gap

DataDome offers a solution for the client-side script controls introduced in PCI DSS 4.0. It secures your checkout experience at the source, ensuring that your payment pages are compliant with PCI DSS 4.0 (6.4.3 & 11.6.1) and safe from client-side attacks.

Stops Magecart & formjacking attacks

• Detects and flags unauthorized changes, preventing attackers from tampering with scripts.
• Ensures that only authorized scripts are allowed to load—no surprises, no hidden threats.

Fully automates PCI DSS 4.0 (6.4.3 & 11.6.1) requirements 

• PCI DSS 6.4.3 requires merchants to maintain an inventory of all scripts running on payment pages.
• PCI DSS 11.6.1 requires monitoring for any unauthorized script modifications.
• Page Protect automates both of these—saving you from manual compliance efforts while keeping your checkout secure.
• Page Protect also allows you to generate reports used for compliance audits, saving you valuable time. 

Provides visibility & control over your payment pages

• Monitor all scripts running on your payment page with a clear inventory.
• Annotate scripts with business justifications to maintain compliance.
• Get alerts for unauthorized changes or suspicious activity.
• Enforce Content Security Policies (CSPs) to prevent unauthorized script additions or modifications.
• Block unexpected behavior to stop unauthorized data collection and potential data leaks.

What’s the cost of doing nothing? 

Not complying with these new requirements and securing your payment pages by the deadline of March 31st, 2025 can be costly for several reasons. 

• A single Magecart attack can expose thousands of payment details in minutes, leading to costly fines, lawsuits, financial losses, and reputational damage.
• PCI DSS non-compliance can result in severe penalties ranging from $5,000 – $100,000 for every month of non-compliance, including the potential loss of your ability to process credit card payments.
• Your customers expect secure transactions—if their data gets stolen from your checkout page, your business is on the hook and your reputation could be damaged. 

Stripe and other payment processors alone won’t stop these threats—but Page Protect will.

Get easy, fast PCI DSS 4.0 compliance for your payment pages

Stripe is great for processing payments securely, but it does not make your checkout page immune from threats or address the new PCI DSS 4.0 client-side security requirements. This is also true for other popular payment processors. Don’t leave your checkout page vulnerable. Book a demo of Page Protect today and see how easy it is to achieve full PCI DSS 4.0 compliance—while stopping payment page attacks before they happen.