Ultimate Guide to PCI DSS Training

Vimal Mohan

Vimal Mohan

Apr 09, 2023

PCI DSS Training

The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) is a compliance framework that mandates organizations to protect sensitive cardholder information from security threats.

Every organization that processes even one card transaction in a year needs to follow PCI security standards.

As an organization going through the PCI DSS compliance journey, you must have the know-how to process cardholder data securely such that it complies with the framework.

Contrary to popular belief, having the know-how is not limited to the IT or compliance departments. Every employee of your organization contributes to a strong compliance posture, and having them undergo the PCI DSS awareness training contributes significantly to achieving this common goal.

In this article, we shed light on the PCI DSS basics course and its contents, introduce you to the types of PCI DSS training courses available, and help you pick the best training program for your organization.

What is PCI Training?

PCI DSS training is mandatory for any organization looking to become PCI DSS compliant. The PCI DSS security training program is designed to educate employees of the organization processing cardholder data to understand the risks associated with processing sensitive data and the privacy measures that they can implement to prevent occurrences of data thefts and ultimately avoid hefty administrative fines.

PCI DSS Training Requirements

Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) security awareness training helps the employees of an organization understand the 12 requirements of the compliance framework.

Requirement 12.6 talks about implementing a training program.

“provide[s] multiple methods of communicating awareness and educating personnel.”

Implementing a training program that educates the entire organization about the impacts of data breaches on an organization is key. Every employee of your organization has a responsibility towards cyber security.

For instance, if a Sales Development Executive is not educated about the different ways hackers penetrate secure networks, they wouldn’t have the know-how to differentiate a regular business email from a phishing email.

Likewise, a Certified Public Accountant(CPA) is usually not expected to know the risks involved when connecting business networks to unsecured public WiFi from a coffee shop. PCI-DSS training aims to solve this by enabling every employee with information on security best practices, common mistakes, and the identification of vulnerabilities.

Types of PCI Certification Training

Based on the intent of training, implementation scope, and an organization’s business functions, team members from said organization undergo one of three types of PCI DSS training programs. They are:

PCI Certification Training

PCI Awareness Training

This training course introduces its participants to the PCI DSS compliance framework. In addition, it equips them with the information required to build and continue a robust PCI-compliant posture.

A General PCI DSS Awareness training program contains:

  • Introduction to PCI DSS and how it enables information security
  • PCI DSS goals
  • People (roles) involved with the PCI compliance of an organization 
  • Reporting overview of PCI DSS
  • Infrastructure requirements to become PCI DSS compliant
  • Information on Card payments and methods to verify secure payments

PCI Internal Security Assessor (ISA) Training

The Internal Security Assessor Training lectures are slightly more nuanced. It is recommended for those with the know-how of how information systems work and know their way around its supporting infrastructure.

PCI ISA training enables the trainee to conduct internal self-assessments and help deploy vulnerability patches. They will also gain insights into the advanced privacy measures usually applied when dealing with card data as per the data security standards.

The scope of PCI ISA training includes two parts.

Part 1

*The basics of PCI DSS, roles and responsibilities

*Information on processing card payments 

*Network Segmentation

*Conducting a self-assessment

After they complete Part 1 of the course, they move on to Part 2.

Part 2

*Identifying the differences in reporting and validation requests from various card issuers

*Components of PCI DSS (Testing, compliance)

*Applying controls

*Developing policies required to become PCI DSS compliant

*Interacting and making changes to business environments that store and process cardholder data.

PCI Professional (PCIP) Training

A PCI Professional (PCIP) training module focuses on enhancing the trainee’s insights on processing secure card payments. The PCIP is generally recommended for an organization’s entire staff as it clearly defines the flow of cardholder data in your business environments and emphasizes how controls and policies safeguard this sensitive information.

The scope of the PCIP training program includes the following:

  • The basics: PCI DSS goals, PCI DSS requirements noncompliance, and standard industry jargon
  • Introduction to Payment Applications Data Security Standards (PA DSS) and PCI Pin Transaction Security (PTS)
  • Understanding the flow of payments (transactions)
  • In Depth approach to risk assessment and management
  • Insights on using compensating controls
  • Best practices when working with third-party service providers 
  • Role of Tokenization, Virtualization, and mobile technologies in card payment processing

What should be included in PCI Training?

A good way of conducting the PCI DSS certification training is by implementing a two-step approach.

Step 1: PCI DSS 101 – Introduction to PCI

Step 2: Dive deeper – Learn to work the PCI wrench

Let’s dive in.

Step 1: Introduction to PCI

This course is not technology and compliance-heavy; its contents help every organization member understand how they contribute to a strong security posture.

This course covers:

  • Introduction to PCI DSS compliance and the importance of maintaining compliance
  • Introduction to the six objectives and 12 requirements of PCI DSS
  • The four levels of PCI DSS and the requirements of each level
  • The impact of noncompliance (penalties and fines)

Step 2: Dive deeper – Learn to work the PCI wrench

This course covers:

  • Applying the PCI DSS scope to your business environment|
  • Managing infosec for all users of your organization
  • Performing risk analysis
  • Achieving an optimum level of compliance readiness
  • Mapping the 12 requirements of PCI DSS to your organization
  • Network security controls: Installation and maintenance
  • How to securely store cardholder data
  • Use of encryption and cryptography when accessing business environments using public or open networks
  • How to select the best antivirus solution for your organization
  • Maintaining a risk register
  • Access management (job-wise access to user data)
  • Enabling MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication)
  • Installing physical security measures (CCTV, RFID)How to demonstrate compliance (best practices)

The implementation phase is tech-intensive and requires the trainee to have a background in working with information systems for the PCI DSS online training to be effective. This phase is best for your engineering, development, information security, and compliance teams.

Additionally, you can appoint one of your team members to lead this effort. At the end of the training, you will have an in-house SME well-versed in the complexities of PCI DSS. Doing this will help your organization in its PCI DSS journey and eliminate the need for you to bring in an external PCI expert at every roadblock.

How should PCI Industry Data Security Training be carried out?

Based on your organization and its business functions, you can either conduct an in-person training program or evenly spread the training module across the year in easy-to-digest bytes. Of course, this can be done using online channels as well.

Doing this keeps your employees constantly aware of the importance of data security. As a result, they are more likely to pay attention to the training program and learn from it than treat it as a box to check. This happens often.

When should PCI Training take place?

The general practice is to conduct PCI DSS staff compliance training programs online or via offline channels annually. That said, no regulation mandates the frequency. Organizations alter the frequency of their PCI DSS security awareness training requirements according to business requirements.

Considerations for Choosing a PCI Certification Training Module

PCI Certification Training module

Here are a few questions you should ask yourself and the training provider to help you decide which PCI DSS staff compliance training programs, online or offline, are best for your organization. 

Does it align with your compliance goals?

There is more than one way to map your compliance goal and training course. The first is in understanding your own experience with PCI data security. For example, are you new or well-versed with the framework? Then, based on your experience level, pick a framework that further enhances your organization’s approach towards PCI DSS.

Does it increase expertise internally?

You can pick a certification model based on the expertise level you want your employees to exhibit towards knowing PCI DSS systems and controls. For example, if you are not keen on having an in-house PCI DSS SME and would rather occasionally have an external expert consult, then having an Awareness training program will also do.

Is it in my budget?

Is PCI DSS training free? Unfortunately, no, it is not. The course fee generally ranges between USD 200-600 depending on the activity level. So, this could be costly if done in haste without considering and negotiating with all the training service providers in the market.

How does Sprinto conduct PCI DSS training for its users?

We are glad you asked 🙂

We have integrated the PCI DSS training program into the scope of the PCI DSS audit readiness solution. As a result, Sprinto doesn’t have to charge their clients that extra premium for the PCI DSS security training, and we don’t.

That’s not all; our compliance automation platform enables visibility to track training progress and get real-time insights.

For instance,  how many members in your organization have completed their training? The answer to this will be on your dashboard in real time.

Make your PCI DSS compliance journey a breeze with Sprinto. Talk to us today to get started. 

Vimal Mohan

Vimal Mohan

Vimal is a Content Lead at Sprinto who masterfully simplifies the world of compliance for every day folks. When not decoding complex framework requirements and compliance speak, you can find him at the local MMA dojo, exploring trails on his cycle, or hiking. He blends regulatory wisdom with an adventurous spirit, navigating both worlds with effortless expertise

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