Background
The client is one of India’s largest payment infrastructure providers, managing:
Hundreds of thousands of Point-of-Sale (POS) terminals across the country.
Tens of thousands of ATMs & Cash Recycling Machines (CRMs).
End-to-end payment processing for banks, fintechs, and merchants.
With the exponential rise of digital transactions in India, protection of cardholder data (CHD) became the most critical priority. Banks, regulators, and customers required assurance that the client’s systems were secure, compliant, and resilient against cyber threats.The client identified several key challenges:
Data Security Risks
- Growing threats of data breaches, skimming, and unauthorized access.
Compliance Requirements
- Mandatory need to comply with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) to operate with international card schemes.
Reputation & Trust
- Any compromise of cardholder data would severely impact brand trust and customer confidence.
Business Continuity
- Non-compliance could lead to penalties, restrictions, and loss of banking clients.
To address these, the client engaged ISOQAR India for PCI DSS Attestation across its payment processing infrastructure.
ISOQAR India’s Approach
ISOQAR India adopted a structured and comprehensive approach to ensure the client achieved PCI DSS compliance and attestation:
- Identified the Cardholder Data Environment (CDE), including payment processing systems, ATMs, POS devices, and associated networks.
- Determined data flow diagrams for storage, processing, and transmission of CHD.
- Conducted a detailed gap analysis against all 12 PCI DSS requirement domains.
- Highlighted risks in firewall configurations, encryption practices, logging, and vendor integration.
- Developed a remediation roadmap with timelines and responsibilities.
- Verified deployment of network segmentation controls to isolate the CDE.
- Ensured use of industry-standard encryption (TLS, AES, tokenization) for CHD at rest and in transit.
- Checked for multi-factor authentication for all administrative access.
- Validated anti-malware, logging, and intrusion detection systems across processing centers.
- Reviewed incident response procedures for data breach readiness.
- Trained IT and operations staff on handling cardholder data securely.
- Conducted phishing and social engineering awareness programs for employees.
- Performed a comprehensive audit of the CDE, including systems, applications, and physical security.
- Reviewed compliance with all PCI DSS requirements, including logging, monitoring, and vulnerability scanning.
- Issued a PCI DSS Attestation of Compliance (AoC), confirming alignment with global payment security standards.
Results & Achievements
Attestation of Compliance issued by ISOQAR India.
- All CHD encrypted using strong cryptography.
- Data access restricted through least privilege and multi-factor authentication.
- Continuous monitoring of all access to network and systems handling CHD.
Strengthened defenses against card data breaches, skimming attacks, and malware intrusions.
Established clear procedures for detecting, reporting, and responding to data security incidents.
Banking clients, payment networks, and merchants gained confidence in the client’s ability to handle cardholder data securely.
PCI DSS attestation became a qualifier for client onboarding and RFPs, securing continuity and growth.
Strategic Impact
Cardholder Data Security
The client’s entire payment ecosystem was brought in line with global best practices for data protection.
Regulatory Compliance
Demonstrated full compliance with mandatory requirements of international payment card schemes.
Risk Mitigation
Significantly reduced the likelihood of financial penalties, reputational damage, and customer churn due to breaches.
Client Confidence
Strengthened trust with banks, fintechs, and merchants, reinforcing the client’s role as a secure payment services partner.
Future Readiness
Established a framework for continuous monitoring and annual reassessments, ensuring ongoing compliance with evolving PCI DSS versions.
Conclusion
By achieving PCI DSS Attestation with ISOQAR India, this leading payment services provider has fortified its payment ecosystem, ensuring end-to-end protection of cardholder data.
The certification not only safeguarded operations against data breaches but also built trust with banks, merchants, and consumers, enabling the client to sustain its leadership in India’s digital payments sector.
This case study demonstrates how PCI DSS attestation, when delivered by an accredited assurance partner like ISOQAR India, transforms compliance into a strategic enabler of security, trust, and business growth.
