A firewall is a physical device that sits between your network (including your back office computer, POS terminals, etc.) and the Internet. This can often be confused with a router of a modem.
What types of data can’t be stored?
According to PCI DSS Requirement 3, if there is a legitimate reason to store cardholder data, a merchant can do so, however only certain items may be stored (and must be stored in a secure manner). Here are the “don’ts” of data storage:
- Never store any track data (referred to as full track, track, track 1, track 2, or magnetic stripe data)
- Never store the card-validation code or value (three- or four-digit number printed on the front or back of a payment card used to validate card-not-present transactions).
- Never store the personal identification number (PIN) or PIN Block
If required for business purposes, the cardholder’s name, Primary Account Number (PAN), expiration date, and service code may be stored as long as they are protected in accordance with PCI DSS requirements.
How do we complete the required information the credit card processor requests to prove we are PCI compliant?
The Self-Assessment Questionnaire is a validation tool put out by the PCI SSC and is intended to assist merchants and service providers in self-evaluating their compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). There are multiple versions of the PCI DSS SAQ to address various payment processing scenarios.
Depending on your merchant level, the SAQ is used by merchants and service providers that are not required to undergo an on-site data security assessment, and may be required by your acquirer or payment brand. Your acquiring bank (credit card processor) can confirm, but typically all level 2, 3, and 4 merchants and service providers must complete a PCI Self-Assessment Questionnaire on an annual basis.
You can access the SAQ resources on our website in the PCI Compliance Resources section under the PCI DSS Self-Assessment Questionnaire Resources heading. Otherwise you can visit the PCI Security Standards Council website.
What is logging?
Logging data is the process of capturing, assembling, retaining and reviewing critical system events. The ability to track user activities is critical for effective forensics and vulnerability management in the instance that something goes wrong. Determining the cause of a security breach is very difficult without system activity logs. Within the restaurant environment, systems like your back office computer and POS terminals should include logging if they are part of the payment environment. As laid out by the PCI DSS, at minimum the system logs must contain records of the following items:
- User Identification
- Type of event
- Date and time
- Success or failure indication
- Origination of event
- Identity or name of affected data, system component or resource
What is multi-factor remote access?
PCI requires that in order to gain remote access into any environment that processes credit card transactions utilizes “two-factor” authentication. Two-factor authentication is a security process in which the user provides two means of identification, one of which is a username and password, and the other of which is a PIN number that is valid only for a small period of time and only sent to the users contact information (e-mail, phone, or SMS text message) on file. Our remote access solution uses these alternative methods ensuring your network is PCI compliant.
