Streamlining PCI DSS Compliance with Serverless Solutions on AWS
Cloud-Native Solutions and PCI DSS Certification
This blog post offers valuable insights on how cloud-native solutions can help you with PCI DSS certification. We delve into the different levels of PCI DSS certification and the rigorous steps involved. It emphasizes the role of serverless architectures in building secure and scalable PCI-compliant solutions.
Key benefits to be discussed include reduced operational overhead, enhanced security posture, and faster time-to-market.
❗❗ Disclaimer: While this post focuses on AWS, the principles can be applied to other cloud providers like Azure and Google Cloud. To ensure a successful implementation, carefully evaluate your chosen provider's services and compliance standards.
Why PCI compliance is important
Many businesses that operate online, even those that don't consider themselves e-commerce companies, may be subject to PCI compliance. If your business handles sensitive customer information, such as credit card numbers or personal data, you could be part of a secure chain that requires compliance, i.e., PCI DSS.
Even if you don't sell products or services directly, you may be involved in a transaction that involves the processing of sensitive data. For example, if you collect customer information as part of a subscription service or offer online payments for services, you could be subject to PCI compliance.
It's important to understand that PCI compliance is not just about protecting your customers' data; it also helps protect your business from potential financial losses and legal liabilities. By ensuring you are PCI-compliant, you can demonstrate to your customers that their information is safe and secure.
The financial consequences of non-compliance can be devastating. A single incident can result in fines exceeding $500,000, damaged relationships with payment processors, increased audit requirements, legal vulnerabilities, and irreparable harm to your brand's reputation. These severe repercussions underscore the importance of prioritizing compliance and avoiding the costly consequences of non-compliance.
What is PCI DSS?
PCI DSS stands for Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. In December 2004, the five major credit card companies agreed to develop a security standard and released version 1.0 (we are now approaching version 4.0). In summary, it is a standard that everyone involved in the chain agrees to comply with to benefit the end user and provide greater security for each transaction.
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By having a PCI certification, you are obligated to protect the customer's sensitive and confidential information, help prevent fraud or data theft, and increase confidence in the security of each transaction you will be operating.
PCI Certification Levels
Merchants are categorized into four levels of the PCI certification based on the number of transactions they process annually.
Level 1: High-Volume Merchants
- Applies to: Merchants processing over 6 million transactions per year.
- Requirements:
- External audit by a Qualified Security Assessor (QSA)
- Quarterly network scans by an Approved Scanning Vendor (ASV)
- Attestation of Compliance form.
Level 2: Medium-Volume Merchants
- Applies to: Merchants processing 1 to 6 million transactions per year.
- Requirements:
- Internal evaluation using the Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ)
- Quarterly network scans by an ASV
- Attestation of Compliance form
Level 3: Low-Volume Merchants
- Applies to: Merchants processing 20,000 to 1 million transactions per year.
- Requirements:
- Annual Self-Assessment Questionnaire
- Quarterly network scans by an ASV
- Optional external audit and Report of Compliance
Level 4: Small Merchants
- Applies to: Merchants processing fewer than 20,000 transactions per year.
- Requirements:
- Annual Self-Assessment Questionnaire
- Quarterly network scans by an ASV
- May not require an Attestation of Compliance
Although the specific requirements may vary depending on the transaction volume, all merchants are obligated to safeguard cardholder data. By strictly adhering to the PCI DSS standards, businesses can significantly reduce the risk of data breaches, protecting their operations and customers' sensitive information.
Entities on PCI-DSS
When embarking on a PCI DSS certification process, you'll frequently encounter the term "entities." But what exactly are they? Essentially, entities are any party that, directly or indirectly, has access to sensitive user data. Whether you're a retailer, a software developer, or any other involved party, you're considered an entity. That's why it's crucial to maintain a comprehensive inventory of all processes and individuals involved in your solution.
We can categorize involved parties into internal and external actors. Internal actors include Software Developers, Cloud Architects, QA engineers, and Project Managers, whose physical equipment and access privileges must be inventoried and tracked. A record of all direct or indirect interactions with the project should be maintained.
External actors, such as Qualified Security Assessors (QSAs), Approved Scanning Vendors (ASVs), and Internal Security Auditors (ISAs), are responsible for validating the application's structure and processes. These roles are crucial for the project's successful implementation.
The PCI-DSS compliance process
The compliance process is divided into the following phases
Before the Audit
Thanks to the proper configuration of AWS Security Hub, we can research a comprehensive inventory of data, status, and documentation required for the audit. This proactive approach enabled us to stay ahead of the audit process and continuously improve our security posture with the development team.
During the Audit
AWS Security Hub and AWS GuarDduty are indispensable tools for ensuring PCI DSS compliance. Integrating it into your security strategy allows you to proactively manage your security posture, identify vulnerabilities, and meet all required standards. Combined with rigorous planning and meticulous execution, you'll efficiently achieve your compliance goals.
💡 Extra Tip: Serverless infrastructure significantly reduces the security burden associated with PCI DSS compliance. Organizations can streamline their audit process and focus on their business by delegating many security responsibilities to AWS-managed services. This approach minimizes the need for extensive security documentation and testing, ultimately saving time and resources.
Post Audit (but not the end)
PCI DSS compliance is an ongoing journey, not a destination. Achieving PCI DSS compliance marks a significant milestone, but embedding security into the secure development lifecycle (SDLC) is essential. Organizations can ensure lasting compliance by following secure coding practices and regularly reviewing and updating security controls.
Following the application status report, you can implement the requested enhancements and continue with the secure development lifecycle. This sets a precedent for future audits and reviews.
Benefits of Partnering with an AWS Partner for PCI DSS-Compliant Projects
As AWS Partners at Switch, we're dedicated to guiding our clients toward PCI DSS compliance through secure, efficient cloud solutions to encrypt sensitive data.
Considering our client's specific needs, we identify their transaction types, the criticality of low latency (when needed), and the requirement for scalable infrastructure. To meet these demands while adhering to data residency on cloud computing services (USA, LATAM, EMEA, etc.), we can create a highly available, auditable, and secure cloud-based architecture using AWS services appropriate to the challenge.
AWS provides a comprehensive suite of artifacts designed to streamline the audit process. These resources (artifacts) can significantly simplify your path to compliance.
The AWS PCI Compliance Package provides customers with access to compliance reports, certifications, and agreements related to AWS security. It offers benefits such as comprehensive resources, agreement governance, and deep insights into AWS's security control environment. Customers can access these resources through the AWS Artifact
Why adopt a cloud-native approach for PCI certification?
If you want to achieve PCI certification quickly and efficiently, cloud technology, especially serverless architecture, is your best bet. Before you start developing, ask yourself these key questions:
- Do you have the in-house expertise to manage complex security infrastructure?
- Can your applications scale seamlessly to meet fluctuating demand?
- Are you confident in keeping up with the latest security threats and vulnerabilities (patches)?
- Can your infrastructure handle unpredictable traffic spikes?
Switch team's recent involvement in a cloud-native project for a financial company in Puerto Rico, demonstrated the significant advantages of this approach. This experience empowered our team to view documentation as a living entity where everyone, from management to developers, contributes to the overall process. The team embraced the idea of documentation as an evolving process, recognizing that every member plays a vital role, from initial planning to deployment.
Leveraging our expertise in AWS (Cloud Engineers, Solutions Architects, and Security Specialists) and PCI DSS, we recommend a serverless architecture, when possible, to streamline compliance efforts. This approach minimizes implementation and offers distinct benefits compared to alternative methods in navigating the audit process, maintenance overhead, and inherent security advantages. Many AWS services are inherently designed to meet PCI DSS requirements, reducing the complexity of audits and ensuring a more secure environment.
One of the great benefits of serverless is that you can eliminate the need to manage tasks like operating system maintenance and security patches. This means fewer audit items to worry about, streamlining the review process. By adopting a serverless solution, you can focus on core business operations while maintaining compliance. Based on the shared responsibility model, most AWS services are already PCI DSS compliant by definition
Let's Put Cloud Technology to Work for You
At Switch, we believe technology should serve us, not vice versa. That's why we're passionate about leveraging serverless architectures when needed to deliver customized solutions to our clients. Our collaborative approach, combined with our certified experts, enables us to provide tailored solutions that meet your exact needs. We believe in putting technology to work for you.
As a result, cloud technology offers a powerful solution for organizations seeking to streamline PCI compliance efforts and mitigate risk. Businesses can benefit from enhanced security, scalability, and simplified audits by leveraging cloud-based solutions. Our Cloud & DevOps Studio provides valuable insights into how cloud tech can help organizations like yours. Let’s talk!