Is the application listed as an approved Payment Application Data Security Standard (PA-DSS) application?

PA-DSS validation is the point of this question: it asks whether your application is officially listed as an approved Payment Application Data Security Standard solution.

PA-DSS is a set of requirements designed for software vendors who develop payment applications that store, process, or transmit cardholder data as part of authorization or settlement. These applications must be secure to prevent breaches of cardholder data.

Why this matters in a security assessment:

1. If your application handles payment card data and is PA-DSS validated, it provides assurance that it was built following secure coding practices specific to payment processing.
2. Using PA-DSS validated applications can simplify PCI DSS compliance for merchants and service providers.
3. Non-validated applications may introduce security risks when handling payment card data.

The PCI Security Standards Council maintains a list of validated payment applications that have undergone rigorous security testing by a Payment Application Qualified Security Assessor (PA-QSA).

To best answer this question:
- Check if your application is listed on the PCI SSC website's list of validated payment applications
- If listed, provide the listing details including validation number and expiration date
- If not listed but handles payment data, explain your alternative compliance approach
- If your application doesn't process payment card data directly (uses a third-party processor instead), clarify this in your response