File integrity monitoring (FIM) is essential for securing data and meeting compliance regulations. In particular, the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) requires organizations to use FIM to help secure their business systems against card data theft by detecting changes to critical system files. This article explains these PCI DSS requirements and how to achieve compliance using FIM.

We are living in the height of technology with no sign of stopping any time soon. Technology has access to so much of our personal information, habits, and decisions. However, we are also living in a time of accountability and compliance, in response to so much power being acquired by Big Tech. But compliance doesn’t just affect tech giants. Now there are global policies that apply to everyone from local small businesses to multi-million dollar firms.

The PCI certification process is quite comprehensive and relates to infrastructure, software and employee access to systems, in particular to datasets and the way that they are accessed. These checks are critical not only to the wider payments industry but also to create a level of trust with users knowing their data is protected. The PCI compliance process is a number of checks, usually by an accredited third party, to ensure that secure data handling processes are in place.

The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, also known as PCI DSS is a thorough process that reviews a company’s systems and policies for handling and storage of sensitive consumer cardholder data.

The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) entered the scene back in 2004 with the rise of payment fraud. Created by leaders in the credit card industry, PCI DSS was developed to provide a baseline of technical and operational requirements designed to protect cardholder payment data and was commonly understood by those in the legacy security world.