This is the eighth blog in a 12-part series addressing each PCI DSS Requirement and the challenges faced by companies going through this process. To view the previous blog posts in this series, please follow the links below:
PCI Requirement 1 - Defending the Wall
PCI Requirement 2 - Change Your Defaults!
PCI Requirement 3 - Don't Store Cardholder Data!
PCI Requirement 4 - Hide in Plain Sight!
PCI Requirement 5 - Update and Scan
PCI Requirement 6 - Patches and Scanning and Coding, Oh My!!
PCI Requirement 7 - Thou Shall Not Pass!
Requirement 8 builds on the access control portion of your PCI program. This requirement will put some configuration requirements into your access control in and around passwords and administrator access to the CDE. In my humble opinion, the requirements in Requirement 8 for passwords are a bit dated and “soft” when you compare them with basic services we use daily like Gmail or Dropbox. Requirement 8 also incorporates multi-factor authentication into the areas where administrative and non-console remote access is needed. Multi-factor authentication is something I recommend in general for good IT Security practices, as it helps alleviate some of the soft perceptions this requirement has in areas. However, for User ID and Passwords, here are some of the parameter highlights in PCI requirement 8:
Requirement 8 really buttons down the configuration of passwords and ID’s to access your CDE. These seem very straightforward and are not hard to implement in a Windows and Linux environment. There are many more details not highlighted here, a read through the entire requirement with a QSA can really help identify your weak areas. However, like most requirements there are some challenges companies face.
Companies that require PCI Compliance face some familiar challenges within requirement 8:
Compass is well versed in the PCI compliance space and can help your company with a risk assessment to determine what you need to do to comply with all the PCI requirements that are in scope, based on your business model.
These challenges are just some of the areas within the PCI DSS requirements that many of our client’s face. Another area where our client’s experience challenges is keeping track of the various requirements that must be completed on a quarterly, semi-annual, and annual basis for PCI Compliance. Therefore, Compass IT Compliance has created our PCI Compliance checklist, one for service providers and one for merchants. This simple, easy to use checklist gives you the PCI requirements, what you must do to achieve/maintain compliance, and how often you need to complete each requirement. To download your copy today, click on the button below!