{"id":1053,"date":"2020-01-28T16:40:01","date_gmt":"2020-01-28T16:40:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cheapsslsecurity.com\/p\/?p=1053"},"modified":"2021-09-13T10:21:26","modified_gmt":"2021-09-13T10:21:26","slug":"what-is-a-pci-compliance-scan-and-how-do-i-run-it-on-my-website","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cheapsslsecurity.com\/p\/what-is-a-pci-compliance-scan-and-how-do-i-run-it-on-my-website\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is a PCI Compliance Scan and How Do I Run It on My Website?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here\u2019s everything you need to know about a PCI compliance scan \u2014 what it is, why you need it, and how to run it<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re a company that accepts, processes, and stores credit card data, you need to stay compliant to the payment card industry (PCI) compliance standards framed by the PCI DSS Council. It\u2019s a set of 12 requirements formed cooperatively by Visa, MasterCard, JCB International, Discover, and American Express to prevent consumer data theft and host customer data securely. A PCI compliance scan is a necessary evil that you must take care of.<\/p>\n

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Comodo\u2019s HackerGuardian PCI scanner<\/a> is the best PCI compliance scan tool that offers a free PCI scan valid for 90 days. Let\u2019s understand the PCI scan in some detail.<\/p>\n

In order to qualify for Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS)<\/a>, you must have your internal and external networks scanned with an approved PCI DSS scanning vendor<\/a>. Let\u2019s see what a PCI compliance scan is made of.<\/p>\n

What Is PCI Scan? How Is It Done?<\/h2>\n

A PCI scan is an internal and external scan of a company’s network that accepts, processes, and stores credit card data. Quarterly PCI scans, carried out by an approved PCI vendor, are mandatory to qualify for the PCI DSS (payment card industry data security standards) requirements.<\/p>\n

Every website accepting credit card information must perform a quarterly scan of your ecosystem and submit it to the acquiring bank. On failing to do so, you most probably lose your license to accept and process credit card information, which, in turn, could be catastrophic for your business considering the popularity of using debit and credit cards.<\/p>\n

As far as the PCI scans are concerned, there are three types of scans. Let’s see each one of them in a bit detail in layman’s language:<\/p>\n

External Scans<\/h3>\n

External scan means all the IP addresses\/ranges that are public-facing on your network. These addresses\/ranges need to be scanned on a quarterly basis.<\/p>\n

Internal Scans<\/h3>\n

Internal scan refers to your internal environment and the safeguards you have in place. This scan ensures that things are in proper position and are working appropriately.<\/p>\n

Application Scans<\/h3>\n

Application scans are a must if you\u2019re deploying public-facing web applications. Scanning of these websites needs to be done on a quarterly basis as well.<\/p>\n

Who Performs PCI Scans?<\/h2>\n

As we saw, approved vendors of PCI DSS are supposed to perform PCI compliance scans. These vendors are equivalent to certificate authorities in the SSL ecosystem. You’d be surprised to know that a lot of these vendors are SSL certificate authorities. These vendors operate independently of the PCI DSS, but they must adhere to stringent guidelines, and they must also undergo audits and reviews on a regular basis.<\/p>\n

However, you must note that there are many types of PCI scanning vendors available. They differ in terms of their operations as well as their depth of scanning. That\u2019s why you must proceed with a lot of caution when it comes to selecting the right PCI scanning vendor.<\/p>\n

Comodo HackerGuardian: An All-Round PCI Protection Scanner<\/h2>\n

There are many PCI compliance scanners available in the market, and to be fair, many of them are quite good. But in our experience, Comodo\u2019s HackerGuardian PCI scanner<\/a> is a step ahead of the competition. First, it\u2019s created by Comodo, the No. 1 certificate authority in the world. Therefore, there\u2019s no question when it comes to its trustworthiness.<\/p>\n

HackerGuardian is a PCI compliance and vulnerability scanner powered by Comodo CA (now known as Sectigo). With a single click, you can scan your internal as well as external networks and get vulnerability reports. With Comodo HackerGuardian, you can scan up to five different IP addresses (you can add additional IPs as necessary).<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not where it stops, it also gives you instructions to deal with the discovered vulnerabilities. Once you\u2019ve dealt with the vulnerabilities, you can run the scan again and generate a clean, ready-to-submit report that you can directly submit to your acquiring bank.<\/p>\n

Comodo HackerGuardian delivers on all fronts \u2014 whether it’s the ease of operations, affordability, or automatic scanning & reporting.<\/p>\n

You can do all of this with a single click. Awesome, isn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n

Features of Comodo HackerGuardian<\/h3>\n