Start Here - A Primer on PCI DSS 9.9

While the hot news around the PCI DSS recently has been the declaration that SSL is dead and speculation on what DSS 3.1 will look like, another major change in the standard is swiftly approaching. As of July 1, 2015, the PCI DSS requirement 9.9, which covers the physical security of "Point of Interaction" (POI) devices, moves from a best practice to an enforceable requirement.

If you haven't started planning for it yet, there is no time like the present. And to help you get a better understanding of the requirement, we bring you another expert resource, compliments of HALOCK Security Labs.

This white paper, called Complying with PCI-DSS Requirement 9.9 - A QSA's Perspective, is a look at the why, what, and how of this portion of the DSS.

While a smaller subset of the overall standard, this new addition can translate into a large effort.

As noted in the opening of the white paper, "Organizations are now expected to train personnel to look for suspicious activity with all physical devices. This is a major change, as previous versions of the DSS did not require any point of interaction inspections whatsoever." Organizational policy and behavioral change is always difficult, but with the right tools, it can be manageable.

Get your planning started by downloading the white paper and talk to your QSA (HALOCK can be reached here) about what compliance with 9.9 means for your organization today.