What’s PCI DSS? | Definitions | Requirements | Cardholder Data | Data Security | Quiz
PCI DSS stands for the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards. These standards were written by the PCI Security Standards Council, which was founded by five major payment brands to set standards for protecting cardholder data.
The requirements address specific aspects of establishing and maintaining payment processing systems and writing and following organizational security policies. These requirements cover all hardware and software used to process, transmit, and store cardholder data as well as the individuals who handle these data and systems.
The PCI DSS were developed in 2006 and are updated periodically as cybersecurity of cardholder data continues to evolve. It is important to note that PCI DSS compliance is mandatory to accept credit cards.
The security standard has 12 main requirements that span 6 subject areas, discussed on the next page.