PCI Standards Acronyms
There are some confusing acronyms that are used frequently when discussing the topic of PCI. If you are wondering what some of them mean, check out this lens.
As I have been looking into the PCI standards, I have encountered a few acronyms that I wasn't sure what they meant. So I decided to do some research and I would like to share what I have learned with you.
The first term I have seen is QSA. QSA stands for Qualified Security Assessor. A Qualified Security Assessor is an individual or organization that has been deemed eligible by the PCI Security Standards Council to complete a PCI DSS Certification Audit. There are various levels of auditing requirements, but the twelve high-level control objectives and sub requirements of the PCI DSS must be met in order for the business to pass the onsite audit. The QSA confirms that a business is meeting all of these requirements by performing a yearly onsite audit and then filing a report of the findings.
Another acronym that I have seen quite frequently in my research of the PCI standards is ASV. ASV stands for Approved Scanning Vendor. An ASV helps businesses maintain PCI compliance by conducting PCI scans. If any type of business electronically processes or stores cardholder data, then they must have quarterly or annual scans performed by an ASV. The PCI scans will review the businesses networks, operating systems, services, and devices and report any vulnerabilities.
One more term that I wanted to mention is the SAQ. (Not to be confused with the QSA) The SAQ stands for Self Assessment Questionnaire. Because there are different merchant levels under which businesses can fall, some businesses might not be required to have an onsite audit, but rather can audit their own PCI compliance by submitting a SAQ. The SAQ consists of different question which correlate to the twelve PCI DSS requirements. There are some different variations of the SAQ depending on the merchant level of the business as well.
So if you were like me and have seen some of these confusing terms, hopefully this helps. The PCI standards can be somewhat confusing and overwhelming, but the more research I do, the more I realize the importance.
The first term I have seen is QSA. QSA stands for Qualified Security Assessor. A Qualified Security Assessor is an individual or organization that has been deemed eligible by the PCI Security Standards Council to complete a PCI DSS Certification Audit. There are various levels of auditing requirements, but the twelve high-level control objectives and sub requirements of the PCI DSS must be met in order for the business to pass the onsite audit. The QSA confirms that a business is meeting all of these requirements by performing a yearly onsite audit and then filing a report of the findings.
Another acronym that I have seen quite frequently in my research of the PCI standards is ASV. ASV stands for Approved Scanning Vendor. An ASV helps businesses maintain PCI compliance by conducting PCI scans. If any type of business electronically processes or stores cardholder data, then they must have quarterly or annual scans performed by an ASV. The PCI scans will review the businesses networks, operating systems, services, and devices and report any vulnerabilities.
One more term that I wanted to mention is the SAQ. (Not to be confused with the QSA) The SAQ stands for Self Assessment Questionnaire. Because there are different merchant levels under which businesses can fall, some businesses might not be required to have an onsite audit, but rather can audit their own PCI compliance by submitting a SAQ. The SAQ consists of different question which correlate to the twelve PCI DSS requirements. There are some different variations of the SAQ depending on the merchant level of the business as well.
So if you were like me and have seen some of these confusing terms, hopefully this helps. The PCI standards can be somewhat confusing and overwhelming, but the more research I do, the more I realize the importance.
PCI Standards Links
- PCI Standards Acronyms | Gather
- Check out some more info on pci standards acronyms
- PCI Security Standards Council
- For information about pci straight from the pci council.
- PCI Scanning Terms
- More terms about pci compliance and scanning.
PCI Standards Vid
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