PCI Compliance & Non-Human Identity Security

Read full article here: https://entro.security/blog/pci-compliance-securing-non-human-identities-as-a-crucial-step/?source=nhimg

Meeting Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) requirements demands rigorous control over every identity with access to cardholder data. While most compliance programs focus on human users, non-human identities (NHIs) such as service accounts, API keys, automation scripts, and IoT devices, are often overlooked. This omission creates a blind spot where privileged, unattended machine accounts can be exploited to bypass security controls, leading to potential breaches and compliance failures.

Why NHIs Matter in PCI DSS

NHIs regularly interact with systems that store, process, or transmit cardholder data. If not properly governed, they may:

• Hold excessive permissions beyond operational needs.

• Operate without MFA or modern authentication safeguards.

• Access encryption keys or sensitive data without sufficient monitoring.

PCI DSS Alignment

• Requirement 7 – Access Control - Enforce least privilege for NHIs, apply MFA where possible, and rotate credentials regularly.

• Requirement 10 – Monitoring & Logging - Log all NHI activities, protect logs from tampering, and set alerts for anomalous behavior.

• Requirement 3 – Data Encryption - Secure and monitor NHI access to encryption keys, preventing misuse.

• Requirement 11 – Testing - Safeguard NHIs involved in security testing to prevent attackers from disabling protective measures.

• Requirement 2 – Secure Configuration - Restrict NHI privileges to necessary configurations, blocking unauthorized system changes.

Best Practices for Securing NHIs in PCI Environments

1. Strong Authentication & Encryption - Store credentials in secure vaults; enforce encryption in transit and at rest.

2. Principle of Least Privilege - Minimize permissions and review regularly to prevent privilege creep.

3. Credential Management Automation - Rotate and revoke credentials automatically; enforce expiry policies.

4. Monitoring & Auditing - Continuously track NHI behavior; alert on unusual actions.

5. Segmentation & Compartmentalization - Separate NHIs by function to reduce the blast radius of compromise.

6. Regular Access Reviews - Audit and remove unnecessary or outdated NHIs on a scheduled basis.

Conclusion

Securing NHIs is not an optional enhancement, it’s a PCI DSS compliance necessity. By embedding machine identity governance into access control, monitoring, encryption, testing, and configuration management processes, organizations can close a critical security gap, protect cardholder data, and strengthen trust with customers and partners.