PCI DSS 12.4.2: Quarterly Compliance Reviews for Service Providers
Service providers must conduct quarterly compliance reviews to verify that personnel consistently follow established security policies. This control ensures ongoing adherence to PCI DSS requirements and catches policy violations before they become security incidents. Implementing a structured review process protects cardholder data and demonstrates compliance to auditors.
What this means
PCI DSS 12.4.2 requires service providers to perform documented compliance reviews at least once every three months. These reviews confirm that all personnel are following your organization's security policies and procedures. The control is specific to service providers handling payment card data and serves as a preventive measure against human error and policy drift.
How to comply
- 1.Establish a documented quarterly compliance review schedule and assign clear ownership
- 2.Define the scope of each review, including which security policies and personnel to evaluate
- 3.Conduct interviews, observations, or audits to assess policy adherence across teams
- 4.Document findings in a compliance review report with specific observations and dates
- 5.Identify gaps or non-compliance issues and create corrective action plans
- 6.Track remediation efforts and verify completion before the next quarterly review
- 7.Maintain all review documentation and evidence for audit purposes
Evidence auditors look for
- Quarterly compliance review schedules and calendars with documented dates
- Signed compliance review reports detailing personnel assessed and findings
- Interview notes or observation logs showing policy adherence verification
- Corrective action plans addressing non-compliance identified in reviews
- Evidence of remediation follow-up and completion tracking
- Trend analysis showing improvement or changes in compliance over multiple quarters
Frequently asked questions
When will FAQs be available?
The FAQ for this control is currently being prepared.
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