PCI DSS 4.0 Compliance Architecture

PCI DSS 4.0 Compliance Architecture

Challenge

Design and implement a secure, compliant Cardholder Data Environment (CDE) for a high-volume payment processing platform handling millions of daily transactions.

Solution Architecture

1. Network Segmentation & Secure Configuration

module "cde_vpc" {
  source = "./modules/secure-vpc"
  
  name               = "cde-payment"
  cidr               = "10.0.0.0/16"
  azs                = ["eu-west-1a", "eu-west-1b", "eu-west-1c"]
  
  # Security controls
  enable_nat_gateway = true
  single_nat_gateway = false
  
  tags = {
    Environment = "production"
    Compliance  = "pci-dss"
    DataClass   = "cardholder"
  }
}

2. Data Protection Strategy

Encryption at Rest:

  • AWS KMS Customer Managed Keys (CMK) with automatic 90-day rotation
  • AES-256 encryption for all storage
  • Hardware Security Modules (HSM) for cryptographic operations

Encryption in Transit:

  • TLS 1.3 enforcement with perfect forward secrecy
  • Mutual TLS (mTLS) via Istio service mesh

Tokenization for Scope Reduction:

  • 60% reduction in CDE scope via tokenization
  • Secure token-to-PAN mapping with KMS encryption

Results & Metrics

Compliance Outcomes

PCI DSS Requirements Status:
├── Requirement 1: ✅ PASS (Network Security)
├── Requirement 2: ✅ PASS (Secure Configurations)
├── Requirement 3: ✅ PASS (Data Protection)
├── Requirement 4: ✅ PASS (Encryption in Transit)
├── Requirement 5: ✅ PASS (Malware Protection)
├── Requirement 6: ✅ PASS (Secure Development)
├── Requirement 7: ✅ PASS (Access Control)
├── Requirement 8: ✅ PASS (Authentication)
├── Requirement 9: ✅ PASS (Physical Security)
├── Requirement 10: ✅ PASS (Logging & Monitoring)
├── Requirement 11: ✅ PASS (Security Testing)
└── Requirement 12: ✅ PASS (Security Policies)

Business Benefits

  1. Risk Reduction: 85% reduction in security incidents
  2. Cost Efficiency: Automated compliance reduced manual audit effort by 70%
  3. Business Agility: Faster onboarding of new payment methods
  4. Customer Trust: Enhanced reputation for security and compliance