Compliance Briefing — March 31, 2025

Executive briefing: The PCI Security Standards Council confirms 31 March 2025 as the end of the v3.2.1 transition. All entities that store, process, or transmit cardholder data must implement PCI DSS 4.0 requirements, including stronger authentication, targeted risk analyses, expanded logging, and e-commerce script integrity monitoring. QSAs will assess against 4.0 for ROC/SAQ submissions after the deadline.

Key risk themes

• Authentication strength. Multi-factor authentication now applies to all access into the CDE, closing legacy console gaps.
• Visibility and tamper detection. Script inventory and integrity checks for payment pages are required to address skimming attacks.
• Risk tailoring. Targeted risk analyses per requirement can expose control deviations; missing documentation will trigger assessor findings.

Operational priorities

• Gap closure. Re-run readiness assessments against 4.0, focusing on MFA scope, centralized logging, and service provider attestation updates.
• Evidence readiness. Stage screenshots, configs, and risk analyses for QSA fieldwork; update SAQ templates for merchants.
• Third-party assurance. Confirm service providers’ Attestation of Compliance (AOC) coverage for 4.0 requirements, especially remote access and monitoring.

Enablement moves

• Notify business owners of the March 2025 cutoff and planned maintenance windows for control changes.
• Update payment page CSP and subresource integrity checks to satisfy 6.4.3/11.6.1 requirements.
• Train operations teams on ongoing targeted risk analysis cadence to prevent documentation drift.

Sources

• PCI DSS v4.0 Standard and Summary of Changes
• PCI SSC — PCI DSS v4.0 Resource Hub

Zeph Tech prepares payment environments for PCI DSS 4.0 by closing authentication, logging, and script integrity gaps ahead of Q2 2025 assessments.

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