About PCI DSS

The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, or PCI DSS, is an industry standard for all organizations that handle cardholder data. This data can include credit cards, debit cards, ATM cards, and point of sale (POS) cards. The standard protects cardholder data and minimizes the possibility of cardholder data theft and/or loss. PCI DSS requires that all merchants, service providers, and financial institutions meet minimum levels of security and monitoring of the systems in their cardholder data environment (CDE).

The Data Security Standard is made up of 12 requirements that businesses are expected to comply with. These requirements consist of security policies, procedures, and guidelines for storage, processing, and transmission of cardholder data. Any business that stores, processes, or transmits payment cardholder data is required to regularly monitor its CDE in accordance with the PCI DSS standard. See PCI Security Standards Council for more details about the PCI Data Security Standard.