PCI Compliance
Master PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) compliance for secure payment processing and handling of cardholder data.
When to Use This Skill
- Building payment processing systems
- Handling credit card information
- Implementing secure payment flows
- Conducting PCI compliance audits
- Reducing PCI compliance scope
- Implementing tokenization and encryption
- Preparing for PCI DSS assessments
PCI DSS Requirements (12 Core Requirements)
Build and Maintain Secure Network
- Install and maintain firewall configuration
- Don't use vendor-supplied defaults for passwords
Protect Cardholder Data
- Protect stored cardholder data
- Encrypt transmission of cardholder data across public networks
Maintain Vulnerability Management
- Protect systems against malware
- Develop and maintain secure systems and applications
Implement Strong Access Control
- Restrict access to cardholder data by business need-to-know
- Identify and authenticate access to system components
- Restrict physical access to cardholder data
Monitor and Test Networks
- Track and monitor all access to network resources and cardholder data
- Regularly test security systems and processes
Maintain Information Security Policy
- Maintain a policy that addresses information security
Compliance Levels
Level 1: > 6 million transactions/year (annual ROC required) Level 2: 1-6 million transactions/year (annual SAQ) Level 3: 20,000-1 million e-commerce transactions/year Level 4: < 20,000 e-commerce or < 1 million total transactions
Data Minimization (Never Store)
# NEVER STORE THESE
PROHIBITED_DATA = {
'full_track_data': 'Magnetic stripe data',
'cvv': 'Card verification code/value',
'pin': 'PIN or PIN block'
}
# CAN STORE (if encrypted)
ALLOWED_DATA = {
'pan': 'Primary Account Number (card number)',
'cardholder_name': 'Name on card',
'expiration_date': 'Card expiration',
'service_code': 'Service code'
}
class PaymentData:
"""Safe payment data handling."""
def __init__(self):
self.prohibited_fields = ['cvv', 'cvv2', 'cvc', 'pin']
def sanitize_log(self, data):
"""Remove sensitive data from logs."""
sanitized = data.copy()
# Mask PAN
if 'card_number' in sanitized:
card = sanitized['card_number']
sanitized['card_number'] = f"{card[:6]}{'*' * (len(card) - 10)}{card[-4:]}"
# Remove prohibited data
for field in self.prohibited_fields:
sanitized.pop(field, None)
return sanitized
def validate_no_prohibited_storage(self, data):
"""Ensure no prohibited data is being stored."""
for field in self.prohibited_fields:
if field in data:
raise SecurityError(f"Attempting to store prohibited field: {field}")Tokenization
Using Payment Processor Tokens
import stripe
class TokenizedPayment:
"""Handle payments using tokens (no card data on server)."""
@staticmethod
def create_payment_method_token(card_details):
"""Create token from card details (client-side only)."""
# THIS SHOULD ONLY BE DONE CLIENT-SIDE WITH STRIPE.JS
# NEVER send card details to your server
"""
// Frontend JavaScript
const stripe = Stripe('pk_...');
const {token, error} = await stripe.createToken({
card: {
number: '4242424242424242',
exp_month: 12,
exp_year: 2024,
cvc: '123'
}
});
// Send token.id to server (NOT card details)
"""
pass
@staticmethod
def charge_with_token(token_id, amount):
"""Charge using token (server-side)."""
# Your server only sees the token, never the card number
stripe.api_key = "sk_..."
charge = stripe.Charge.create(
amount=amount,
currency="usd",
source=token_id, # Token instead of card details
description="Payment"
)
return charge
@staticmethod
def store_payment_method(customer_id, payment_method_token):
"""Store payment method as token for future use."""
stripe.Customer.modify(
customer_id,
source=payment_method_token
)
# Store only customer_id and payment_method_id in your database
# NEVER store actual card details
return {
'customer_id': customer_id,
'has_payment_method': True
# DO NOT store: card number, CVV, etc.
}Custom Tokenization (Advanced)
import secrets
from cryptography.fernet import Fernet
class TokenVault:
"""Secure token vault for card data (if you must store it)."""
def __init__(self, encryption_key):
self.cipher = Fernet(encryption_key)
self.vault = {} # In production: use encrypted database
def tokenize(self, card_data):
"""Convert card data to token."""
# Generate secure random token
token = secrets.token_urlsafe(32)
# Encrypt card data
encrypted = self.cipher.encrypt(json.dumps(card_data).encode())
# Store token -> encrypted data mapping
self.vault[token] = encrypted
return token
def detokenize(self, token):
"""Retrieve card data from token."""
encrypted = self.vault.get(token)
if not encrypted:
raise ValueError("Token not found")
# Decrypt
decrypted = self.cipher.decrypt(encrypted)
return json.loads(decrypted.decode())
def delete_token(self, token):
"""Remove token from vault."""
self.vault.pop(token, None)Encryption
Data at Rest
from cryptography.hazmat.primitives.ciphers.aead import AESGCM
import os
class EncryptedStorage:
"""Encrypt data at rest using AES-256-GCM."""
def __init__(self, encryption_key):
"""Initialize with 256-bit key."""
self.key = encryption_key # Must be 32 bytes
def encrypt(self, plaintext):
"""Encrypt data."""
# Generate random nonce
nonce = os.urandom(12)
# Encrypt
aesgcm = AESGCM(self.key)
ciphertext = aesgcm.encrypt(nonce, plaintext.encode(), None)
# Return nonce + ciphertext
return nonce + ciphertext
def decrypt(self, encrypted_data):
"""Decrypt data."""
# Extract nonce and ciphertext
nonce = encrypted_data[:12]
ciphertext = encrypted_data[12:]
# Decrypt
aesgcm = AESGCM(self.key)
plaintext = aesgcm.decrypt(nonce, ciphertext, None)
return plaintext.decode()
# Usage
storage = EncryptedStorage(os.urandom(32))
encrypted_pan = storage.encrypt("4242424242424242")
# Store encrypted_pan in databaseData in Transit
# Always use TLS 1.2 or higher
# Flask/Django example
app.config['SESSION_COOKIE_SECURE'] = True # HTTPS only
app.config['SESSION_COOKIE_HTTPONLY'] = True
app.config['SESSION_COOKIE_SAMESITE'] = 'Strict'
# Enforce HTTPS
from flask_talisman import Talisman
Talisman(app, force_https=True)Access Control
from functools import wraps
from flask import session
def require_pci_access(f):
"""Decorator to restrict access to cardholder data."""
@wraps(f)
def decorated_function(*args, **kwargs):
user = session.get('user')
# Check if user has PCI access role
if not user or 'pci_access' not in user.get('roles', []):
return {'error': 'Unauthorized access to cardholder data'}, 403
# Log access attempt
audit_log(
user=user['id'],
action='access_cardholder_data',
resource=f.__name__
)
return f(*args, **kwargs)
return decorated_function
@app.route('/api/payment-methods')
@require_pci_access
def get_payment_methods():
"""Retrieve payment methods (restricted access)."""
# Only accessible to users with pci_access role
passAudit Logging
import logging
from datetime import datetime
class PCIAuditLogger:
"""PCI-compliant audit logging."""
def __init__(self):
self.logger = logging.getLogger('pci_audit')
# Configure to write to secure, append-only log
def log_access(self, user_id, resource, action, result):
"""Log access to cardholder data."""
entry = {
'timestamp': datetime.utcnow().isoformat(),
'user_id': user_id,
'resource': resource,
'action': action,
'result': result,
'ip_address': request.remote_addr
}
self.logger.info(json.dumps(entry))
def log_authentication(self, user_id, success, method):
"""Log authentication attempt."""
entry = {
'timestamp': datetime.utcnow().isoformat(),
'user_id': user_id,
'event': 'authentication',
'success': success,
'method': method,
'ip_address': request.remote_addr
}
self.logger.info(json.dumps(entry))
# Usage
audit = PCIAuditLogger()
audit.log_access(user_id=123, resource='payment_methods', action='read', result='success')Security Best Practices
Input Validation
import re
def validate_card_number(card_number):
"""Validate card number format (Luhn algorithm)."""
# Remove spaces and dashes
card_number = re.sub(r'[\s-]', '', card_number)
# Check if all digits
if not card_number.isdigit():
return False
# Luhn algorithm
def luhn_checksum(card_num):
def digits_of(n):
return [int(d) for d in str(n)]
digits = digits_of(card_num)
odd_digits = digits[-1::-2]
even_digits = digits[-2::-2]
checksum = sum(odd_digits)
for d in even_digits:
checksum += sum(digits_of(d * 2))
return checksum % 10
return luhn_checksum(card_number) == 0
def sanitize_input(user_input):
"""Sanitize user input to prevent injection."""
# Remove special characters
# Validate against expected format
# Escape for database queries
passPCI DSS SAQ (Self-Assessment Questionnaire)
SAQ A (Least Requirements)
- E-commerce using hosted payment page
- No card data on your systems
- ~20 questions
SAQ A-EP
- E-commerce with embedded payment form
- Uses JavaScript to handle card data
- ~180 questions
SAQ D (Most Requirements)
- Store, process, or transmit card data
- Full PCI DSS requirements
- ~300 questions
Compliance Checklist
PCI_COMPLIANCE_CHECKLIST = {
'network_security': [
'Firewall configured and maintained',
'No vendor default passwords',
'Network segmentation implemented'
],
'data_protection': [
'No storage of CVV, track data, or PIN',
'PAN encrypted when stored',
'PAN masked when displayed',
'Encryption keys properly managed'
],
'vulnerability_management': [
'Anti-virus installed and updated',
'Secure development practices',
'Regular security patches',
'Vulnerability scanning performed'
],
'access_control': [
'Access restricted by role',
'Unique IDs for all users',
'Multi-factor authentication',
'Physical security measures'
],
'monitoring': [
'Audit logs enabled',
'Log review process',
'File integrity monitoring',
'Regular security testing'
],
'policy': [
'Security policy documented',
'Risk assessment performed',
'Security awareness training',
'Incident response plan'
]
}