PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard)

PCI DSS is a mandatory information security standard created by the PCI Security Standards Council that applies to any entity processing, storing, or transmitting payment card data. It specifies twelve requirements covering firewalls, secure system settings, strong access controls, monitoring, and organizational policies to protect cardholder data throughout its lifecycle. Merchants, payment gateways, processors, and service providers adopt PCI DSS to maintain card-processing privileges, avoid fines, and uphold consumer trust. Unlike the voluntary nature of NIST CSF and CIS Controls, PCI DSS compliance is legally required for all payment channels. Its narrow scope on payment data makes it more prescriptive than ISO 27001’s broad ISMS approach and more specialized than COBIT’s enterprise wide governance model.