The Accredited Standards Committee X9 Inc. and the PCI Security Standards Council have announced a joint initiative to create one unified PIN security standard for payments stakeholders.
Currently PCI SSC and ASC X9 maintain separate PIN security standards. Depending on its affiliation, an organization could be subject to the PCI standard, the X9 standard or both.
According to industry feedback, clear efficiencies would be gained by consolidating the standards, according to a press release.
The goal of the joint initiative will be to arrive at a single PIN security standard and assessor qualification program managed by PCI SSC. A newly formed PCI PIN assessment working group — comprising ASC X9, PCI SSC and payment brand representatives— will collaborate to ensure that the resulting standard satisfies both PCI and ASC X9 requirements.
“Our two organizations have always enjoyed a strong working relationship, and this is an issue we are confident we can address by working together,” PCI SSC Chief Technology Officer Troy Leach said in the release. “The outcome of this effort should help simplify PIN standards and assessor programs for payment card industry stakeholders.”
ASC X9 Executive Director Steve Stevens said, “The resulting PCI PIN Standard will simplify network security audits, reducing the cost to the financial services industry.”