HECVAT Category
Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)
Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) covers controls and questions related to that domain. It outlines expectations institutions typically require from vendors. The category helps assess risk posture and operational maturity. It provides structure for consistent evaluation during security reviews.
Assessment Questions
Do you have a current, executed within the past year, Attestation of Compliance (AoC) or Report on Compliance (RoC)?
This question is asking whether your organization has a current Attestation of Compliance (AoC) or Report on Compliance (RoC) for the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) that was executed within the past year.
Is the application listed as an approved Payment Application Data Security Standard (PA-DSS) application?
This question is asking whether your application has been officially validated and listed as compliant with the Payment Application Data Security Standard (PA-DSS).
Does the system or solutions use a third party to collect, store, process, or transmit cardholder (payment/credit/debt card) data?
This question is asking whether your system or solution relies on any third-party services to handle payment card data at any stage of the transaction process. Payment card data includes credit card numbers, expiration dates, CVV codes, and other sensitive cardholder information.
Do your systems or solutions store, process, or transmit cardholder (payment/credit/debt card) data?
This question is asking whether your systems or software solutions handle credit card, debit card, or other payment card information in any way. Specifically, it's asking about three key activities:
Are you compliant with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)?
This question is asking whether your organization complies with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), which is a set of security requirements designed to ensure that ALL companies that process, store, or transmit credit card information maintain a secure environment.
Are you classified as a service provider?
This question is asking whether your organization is classified as a 'service provider' according to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).
Are you on the list of Visa approved service providers?
This question is asking whether your organization is listed on Visa's Global Registry of Service Providers, which is a public list maintained by Visa of service providers that have demonstrated compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).
Are you classified as a merchant? If so, what level (1, 2, 3, 4)?
This question is asking whether your organization is classified as a 'merchant' under the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), and if so, what merchant level you fall under.
Describe the architecture employed by the system to verify and authorize credit card transactions.
This question is asking you to describe how your system handles credit card transactions, specifically the technical architecture that ensures these transactions are securely verified and authorized.
What payment processors/gateways does the system support?
This question is asking you to identify all payment processors or payment gateways that your system integrates with to handle payment card transactions. Payment processors are companies that handle credit card transaction processing between merchants, banks, and customers (like Stripe, PayPal, Square). Payment gateways are the technology that captures and transfers payment data from the customer to the acquirer (like Authorize.net, Braintree).
Can the application be installed in a PCI DSS–compliant manner?
This question is asking whether your application can be deployed and configured in a way that complies with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). PCI DSS is a set of security standards designed to ensure that all companies that process, store, or transmit credit card information maintain a secure environment.
Include documentation describing the system's abilities to comply with the PCI DSS and any features or capabilities of the system that must be added or changed in order to operate in compliance with the standards.
This question is asking for documentation that explains how your system complies with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), which is a set of security standards designed to ensure that all companies that process, store, or transmit credit card information maintain a secure environment. The question also asks you to identify any features or capabilities that need to be added or modified to ensure PCI DSS compliance.
Do you support role-based access control (RBAC) for system administrators?
This question is asking whether your system supports Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) specifically for system administrators. RBAC is a method of regulating access to computer or network resources based on the roles of individual users within your organization.
Can your employees access customer systems remotely?
This question is asking whether your company's employees have the ability to remotely access your customers' systems or environments. In the context of PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard), this is important because remote access creates additional security risks, especially when dealing with systems that process, store, or transmit payment card data.
Can you provide overall system and/or application architecture diagrams including a full description of the data communications architecture for all components of the system?
This question is asking whether you can provide comprehensive diagrams and descriptions of your system's architecture, particularly focusing on how data flows between different components.
Do you require remote management of the system?
This question is asking whether your system requires remote management capabilities, meaning the ability to administer, configure, or maintain the system from a location other than where the physical hardware is located.
If you answered "yes" to OPEM-04, are your remote actions and changes logged or otherwise visible to the campus?
This question is asking whether your organization logs and makes visible any remote actions or changes that you perform on the campus systems when providing remote support or maintenance (which was confirmed in question OPEM-04).
If you maintain remote access to the system, will you handle data in a FERPA-compliant manner?
This question is asking whether your organization complies with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) when handling educational records remotely. FERPA is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. It applies to all schools that receive funds from the U.S. Department of Education.
Do you support campus status monitoring through SNMPv3 or other means?
This question is asking whether your system or service supports monitoring of its operational status through SNMPv3 (Simple Network Management Protocol version 3) or other similar protocols.
Describe or provide a reference to any other safeguards used to monitor for malicious activity.
This question is asking about additional security measures your organization has in place to detect malicious activity beyond the standard PCI DSS requirements.
Describe how long your organization has conducted business in this area.
This question is asking about your organization's experience and history in handling payment card data and related security compliance. The PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) is a set of security requirements for organizations that handle credit card information.
Do you have existing higher education customers?
This question is asking whether your company or service has existing customers in the higher education sector. While it appears in the PCI DSS category, it's primarily about understanding your experience serving educational institutions rather than a direct PCI compliance question.
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