¶ Executive Summary
For organizations that handle payment card data, compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is non-negotiable. The Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) framework offers an effective solution to help organizations achieve and maintain PCI DSS compliance. This solution brief outlines how SASE can simplify the compliance process, enhance security, and ensure continued adherence to PCI DSS requirements.
¶ Introduction
PCI DSS is a stringent set of security standards designed to protect payment card data. Organizations that handle cardholder information must meet these requirements. The adoption of the SASE framework can significantly simplify the process of maintaining PCI DSS compliance.
¶ Challenges in Achieving PCI DSS Compliance
Complex Network Environments: Organizations often have complex network infrastructures with multiple access points, making it challenging to enforce consistent security measures.
Data Encryption: PCI DSS requires strong data encryption. Managing encryption across diverse systems and networks can be a complex task.
Remote and Mobile Workforce: The modern workforce operates from various locations, which can complicate compliance efforts, especially when dealing with remote access to sensitive data.
¶ How SASE Facilitates PCI DSS Compliance?
|
SASE Feature |
How it Facilitates PCI DSS Compliance? |
|---|---|
| Centralized Security and Network Policies | SASE centralizes security and network policies in the cloud, ensuring a consistent application of security controls necessary for PCI DSS compliance. |
| Zero Trust Security Model | SASE is built on the Zero Trust security model, which verifies the identity of all users and devices before granting access. This approach aligns with PCI DSS access control requirements. |
| Strong Encryption | SASE solutions offer robust encryption capabilities for data protection, which is essential for meeting PCI DSS encryption requirements. |
| Comprehensive Identity and Access Management (IAM) | SASE integrates strong IAM practices, ensuring that only authorized personnel can access payment card data. |
| Secure Remote Access | SASE enables secure remote access, which is vital for organizations with a remote or mobile workforce and ensures compliance with PCI DSS requirements for secure connections. |
| Built-in Compliance Reporting | Some SASE solutions like Exium's Zero Trust CyberMesh include compliance reporting tools, simplifying the documentation and reporting required for PCI DSS audits. |
¶ Benefits of Implementing SASE for PCI DSS Compliance
Streamlined Compliance: SASE simplifies the process of achieving and maintaining PCI DSS compliance by providing an integrated solution for security and network access control.
Cost Reduction: By eliminating the need for complex on-premises equipment and physical controls, SASE solutions can lead to significant cost savings.
Advanced Security: SASE goes beyond PCI DSS requirements, offering features like micro-segmentation, threat detection, and secure web gateways for comprehensive protection.
Scalability: SASE is designed to accommodate organizations as they grow and expand, making it ideal for businesses with evolving needs.
Confidence in Compliance: Organizations can have confidence in their ability to meet and exceed PCI DSS requirements while staying up-to-date with evolving security standards.
¶ The 12 PCI DSS Compliance Requirements
Here are the 12 PCI compliance requirements from the PCI Security Standards Council.
| No | Requirements |
Does Exium SASE provides? |
What does it mean? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Install and maintain a firewall |
√ |
That includes testing network connections, restricting connections to untrusted networks and other efforts. |
| 2 | Change vendor-supplied default passwords and security settings |
√ |
This includes enabling only necessary services, removing functionality where warranted, encrypting access and other efforts. |
| 3 | Protect stored cardholder data |
- |
That includes having policies for disposing of data, limiting what is stored, avoiding storing certain types of data and other efforts. |
| 4 | Encrypt cardholder data when transmitting it across open, public networks |
√ |
Among other things, don't send unprotected account numbers via email, instant messaging, text, chat or other end-user messaging technology. |
| 5 | Use and regularly update antivirus software |
√ |
That means performing and documenting periodic scans, as well as ensuring the software is running and other activities. |
| 6 | Develop security systems and processes. |
- |
This means creating processes to find and take action on vulnerabilities, as well as other efforts. |
| 7 | Restrict access to cardholder data to a need-to-know basis |
√ |
That requires defining the access certain roles need, as well as creating user privileges and control systems, among other things. |
| 8 | Assign user IDs to everybody with computer access |
√ |
Businesses should also ensure there's a way to authenticate users, document their policies in this area and take other actions. |
| 9 | Restrict physical access to cardholder data |
- |
This means using cameras or other tools to monitor who is in sensitive areas of the business or handling certain equipment, for example. |
| 10 | Track and monitor who accesses networks and cardholder data |
√ |
That means having an audit trail, using time-stamped tracking tools, reviewing logs for suspicious activity and other activities |
| 11 | Regularly test systems and processes |
√ |
Test and inventory wireless access points, do quarterly vulnerability scans and monitor traffic, among other things. |
| 12 | Have a policy on information security |
- |
That means writing, publishing and disseminating a policy at least once a year that lays out usage rules for certain technologies and explains everyone's responsibilities, among other things. |
¶ PCI DSS Compliance Data in Exium SASE Platform
A sample PCI DSS Compliance Data in Exium SASE Platform is provided in the graphs below.
The top PCI DSS requirements that are getting flagged in the PCI DSS Compliance Data in Exium SASE Platform are proved in the Table below:
|
PCI DSS Requirement |
Description |
|---|---|
| 10.2.2 |
All transactions by root or any person with administrative privileges Accounts with elevated privileges, such as the “administrator” or “root” account, may have a significant impact on the security or operational functionality of the system. If the activities performed are not logged, any problems arising from an administrative error or privileges given to a specific action and individual cannot be monitored. |
| 10.2.5 |
Use and modification of identification and authentication mechanisms and all changes, additions or deletions in accounts with root or administrator privileges It is impossible to identify the accounts that could have been used at the time of the event without knowing who logged in. Also, malicious users may try to change their authentication checks to bypass or emulate a valid account. |
| 10.2.4 |
Invalid logical access attempts Malicious people often run multiple access attempts to reach targeted systems. More than one invalid login attempt may be an indication of an unauthorized user’ brute force’ attack or attempts to guess a password. |
| 10.2.6 |
Starting, stopping, or pausing audit logs It is common practice for malicious users who want to turn off or pause audit logs before carrying out illegal activities and avoid being spotted or spotted later. Starting, stopping, or stopping audit logs may indicate that the log function is disabled or changed by the user to hide their actions. |
| 10.2.7 |
Creating and deleting system-level objects Malware often creates or modifies system-level objects on the target system to control a specific function or process on the system. It will be easier to determine whether such changes are allowed if system-level objects such as database tables or stored procedures are logged when they are created or deleted. |
| 10.6 |
Review logs and security events for all system components to identify abnormalities or suspicious activity. Many violations occur days or months before they are detected. Regular daily reviews by staff or automated methods can identify and proactively address unauthorized access to the cardholder’s data environment. The daily review does not have to be manual. Using daily collection, segregation, and alert tools can help streamline the process by identifying the daily events that need to be reviewed. |
| 10.6.1 |
Review logs of all system components that store, process, or transmit CHD or SAD at least daily Checking logs regularly daily will minimize the exposure time for a possible violation. In addition to security events, logs of critical system components are also required to identify potential problems. Determination of the safety incident may vary for each organization. In such cases, consideration should be given to the type, technology and function of the device. Organizations should also define “normal” traffic to help identify abnormal behavior. The following should be reviewed daily:
|
| 10.5.2 |
Protect audit trail files from unauthorized changes. Adequate protection of audit logs includes robust access control and the use of physical or network separation to make logs challenging to find and replace. |
| 11.4 | PCI DSS Requirement : Use intrusion detection (IDS) or intrusion prevention (IPS) techniques to detect or prevent intrusions on the network. |
| 11.5 | Use the change detection mechanism to alert unauthorized changes to critical system files, configuration files or content files, and configure the software to perform critical file comparisons at least once a week. |
| 8.1.2 | Control the addition, deletion, and modification of user IDs, credentials, and other identifying objects. |
| 2.2 | Set configuration standards for all system components. Make sure these standards address all known vulnerabilities and are consistent with industry hardening standards. |
| 5.2 | PCI DSS Requirement : All anti-virus mechanisms should be kept up-to-date, perform periodic scans and generate audit logs. |
You can track the top PCI DSS requirements and top alerts as shown in the graphs below:
¶ Conclusion
SASE provides a robust solution for organizations committed to maintaining PCI DSS compliance while modernizing their network and security infrastructure. By centralizing security policies, implementing a Zero Trust model, and ensuring strong encryption, SASE simplifies the compliance process, reduces costs, and offers a scalable solution to adapt to evolving security requirements. For organizations dealing with payment card data, SASE is a valuable tool to consider in their compliance efforts.