Know How to Develop PCI DSS Compliant Fintech Mobile App

Know How to Develop PCI DSS Compliant Fintech Mobile App

Regardless of being a complete Fintech app or an ecommerce or streaming app that asks users to make an in-app payment, can’t miss having the PCI DSS Compliance.

On the other hand, failure to come up with the PCI data safety standards leads to a data breach, which may result in disastrous financial outgrowths, like extra fees, penalties, and even the loss of business.

In this article, you will get to Know How to Develop PCI DSS Compliant Fintech Mobile App.   Knowing the basics of the PCI DSS or the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard for the Fintech app helps financial mobile app development company India to move in the right development direction.

PCI Compliance Requirements

Most of the PCI specifications that influence the Fintech app development process comes under the PCI DSS Requirements 3, 4, and 6. Understanding these requirements will help you understand the specific scope of PCI DSS guidance.

 

  1. PCI Compliance Requirement 3

Requirement 3 includes the standards of protecting stored cardholder data. The data that is managed, produced, stored, or transferred on the payment card by the apps accommodating card payments are made-up to preserve the data and restrict any illegal usage.

 

Usually, businesses must not store cardholders’ data until that is utterly necessary to meet company conditions.

 

The hypersensitive data stated on the magnetic stripe of a card must not be stored ever. And, if you need to save the user PAN details, it should be presented in an unreadable way.

 

There are some other sub-sections of Requirement 3 that are accountable as the PCI compliance checklist for the best Fintech android mobile app development India.

 

  • 1

Data storage and retention time should be restricted by the legal and business purposes following the data retention policy. Moreover, irrelevant data must be cleaned at least every quarter.

 

  • 2

Even if data is encrypted, organizations must not store sensitive authentication data after authorization. But issuers can keep the authentication data if there is a valid business reason, and the information is protected.

 

  • 3

Masking data is a must while PAN is displayed. Show either the first six or the last four digits while displaying.

 

  • 5

The keys used for the encryption of cardholders’ data must be defended against revelation and abuse.

 

  • 6

Businesses must document and execute the relevant key management system entirely, and process the cryptographic codes applied for the encryption of cardholders’ data.

 

  1. PCI Compliance Requirement 4

Requirement 4 points out the duty of businesses to encrypt the transmission of cardholders’ data across public and open networks to safeguard those from hacking and abuse.

 

  • 1

Fintech mobile app development services providers must apply robust security protocols and cryptography, like TLS/SSL or IPsec or SSH, to protect the cardholders’ data during its transmission over a public and open network.

 

  • 2

Be sure not to send unsafe PAN details by the end-users’ messaging technologies.

 

  1. PCI Compliance Requirement 6

Requirement 6 guides for developing and maintaining secure external and internal applications that process, store, and transmit cardholders’ data.

 

  • 1

Properly document the software asset register of libraries and tools used in the PCI DSS compliance software development cycle.

 

As the software libraries and tools are renewed regularly, a continuous revision of the register is unavoidable.

 

This Requirement also guides the risk ranking that must be specified for any susceptibility identified in the articles within the asset register.

 

Another guideline mentioned under this section is that all vulnerabilities must be risk evaluated, and labeled with the exact risk rating label, like “Critical,” “High,” “Medium” or “Low.”

 

  • 2

This sub-section of Requirement 6 counts on the sensitivity monitoring and obliges the critical level security patches.

 

  • 3

Use a software development lifecycle based on the industry’s best practices. Documentation is required for every step of the software development lifecycle and the approach to handle the mobile app security and PCI requirements during the conceptualization, research, design, and app testing phases.

 

To achieve the PCI 6.3 Compliance, Mobile App Development Company India needs to aim to make detailed documentation that even the third-party developers can understand it well.

 

To make sure the developers adhere to the exact software development lifecycle, follow up with thorough documentation, and conduct audits of the development process frequently.

 

  • 3.1:

Remove test or custom app accounts, passwords, and User IDs before releasing the app for public use.

 

  • 3.2:

Review custom codes before its release to recognize any coding vulnerabilities (if any).

 

  • 4

PCI DSS compliance Fintech mobile app development companies must follow the change control process for all the alterations made to the system elements.

 

Further, the test data must be removed from the system’s elements before making it active or taking into production.

 

  • 5

To achieve the 6.5 Compliance the developers need to be qualified in the safe coding methods regulated with the app’s coding languages. The coding systems must be based on the best industry practices, and documentation is required to show all guidelines are maintained all through the development process.

 

  • 6

Payment applications that handle the public like web apps are accessible through the internet, as well. Hence, these apps must be protected either by a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or through a powerful web application vulnerability scanning method.

 

While acknowledging the importance of this PCI Compliance and how it sets a minimum level of security controls, the security-conscious businesses opt for the “belt and braces” plan within their web app security program.

 

Conclusion

PCI DSS is a thoroughly authoritarian technical standard to protect user credit card and debit card details that are commonly referred to as ‘cardholder data’ within the industry. This set of security standards that endeavors to protect financial fraud by safeguarding the cardholders’ data within the businesses that either accept credit or debit card payments.

 

PCI DSS compliance focuses on IT services. Hence, the mobile app development services that are assigned to complete the PCI compliance within a Fintech company must come up with the necessary software developer experience. Only extensive knowledge and expertise can assure that the app development company India will meet the PCI DSS requirements checklist perfectly.