PCI DSS Penetration Testing

DarkPoint Security provides penetration testing services specifically designed to satisfy PCI DSS requirements. Our assessments help merchants, payment processors, and service providers validate the security of their cardholder data environments and demonstrate compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard.

  • Internal and external penetration testing aligned to PCI DSS Requirement 11.3
  • Web application security testing per Requirement 6.6
  • Segmentation testing to validate network isolation controls
  • Reports structured for QSA review and audit readiness
  • Remediation validation testing to confirm vulnerability fixes

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What is PCI DSS?

The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a set of security requirements established by the PCI Security Standards Council to protect cardholder data wherever it is processed, stored, or transmitted. The standard applies to all organizations that handle payment card information, including merchants, payment processors, acquirers, issuers, and third-party service providers.

PCI DSS was created by the major card brands — Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, and JCB — to establish a consistent baseline for data security across the payment industry. The standard is organized into twelve core requirements covering areas such as network security, access control, vulnerability management, and security monitoring. Non-compliance can result in significant fines, increased transaction fees, and loss of the ability to process card payments.

For Canadian organizations, PCI DSS compliance is enforced through acquiring banks and payment brands. Whether you operate a single retail location or process millions of transactions annually, the standard requires you to demonstrate that your systems are secured against unauthorized access to cardholder data.

PCI DSS Penetration Testing Requirements

PCI DSS includes several requirements that directly mandate or benefit from penetration testing. Understanding these requirements is essential for scoping an assessment that satisfies your compliance obligations.

  • Requirement 11.3 — Penetration Testing — Organizations must perform external and internal penetration testing at least annually and after any significant change to the cardholder data environment. The test must cover the entire CDE perimeter, critical systems, and all network segmentation controls. Both network-layer and application-layer testing are required.
  • Requirement 11.3.4 — Segmentation Testing — If network segmentation is used to reduce the scope of the PCI DSS assessment, penetration testing must verify that the segmentation methods are operational and effective, isolating all out-of-scope systems from the CDE.
  • Requirement 6.5 — Secure Development — Applications must be developed based on secure coding guidelines. Penetration testing helps validate that development teams are following these practices by identifying vulnerabilities in deployed applications.
  • Requirement 6.6 — Web Application Security — Public-facing web applications must be protected against known attacks, either by reviewing code, deploying a web application firewall, or conducting regular web application penetration testing. Testing must address the OWASP Top 10 at minimum.

How DarkPoint Helps You Achieve PCI DSS Compliance

DarkPoint Security maps our penetration testing services directly to PCI DSS requirements, ensuring that every assessment produces the evidence and documentation your QSA needs to validate compliance.

  • External Network Penetration Testing — Satisfies the external testing component of Requirement 11.3 by identifying vulnerabilities in your internet-facing infrastructure that could provide unauthorized access to the cardholder data environment
  • Internal Network Penetration Testing — Addresses the internal testing component of Requirement 11.3 by simulating an insider threat or compromised endpoint within your network to test lateral movement paths to cardholder data
  • Web Application Penetration Testing — Meets Requirement 6.6 by testing public-facing payment applications against the OWASP Top 10 and beyond, identifying vulnerabilities such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting, and authentication bypasses
  • Wireless Network Penetration Testing — Validates that wireless networks cannot be used to access the cardholder data environment, supporting Requirement 11.1 wireless access point detection and Requirement 11.3 segmentation validation
  • Network Segmentation Validation — Confirms that segmentation controls effectively isolate the CDE from out-of-scope networks, directly satisfying Requirement 11.3.4

Our reports are written with PCI DSS compliance in mind. Each finding is mapped to the relevant PCI DSS requirement, and our documentation provides the evidence trail that QSAs require during the formal assessment process.

Our PCI DSS Testing Process

DarkPoint Security follows a structured methodology designed to produce thorough, audit-ready results:

  • Scoping and CDE Identification — We work with your team to identify all systems, networks, and applications that store, process, or transmit cardholder data, as well as connected systems that could affect CDE security. We review network diagrams, data flow documentation, and segmentation controls to define the testing scope.
  • Penetration Testing Execution — Our security consultants perform comprehensive external and internal penetration testing against all in-scope systems. Testing includes network-layer exploitation, application-layer testing, segmentation validation, and attempts to access cardholder data through chained attack scenarios.
  • Reporting and Documentation — We deliver a detailed report that maps each finding to the relevant PCI DSS requirement, assigns severity ratings, provides exploitation evidence, and includes step-by-step remediation guidance. The report includes an executive summary suitable for management and board-level review.
  • Remediation Validation — After your team addresses the identified vulnerabilities, we perform retesting to confirm that fixes are effective and do not introduce new security issues. This validation is included as part of every PCI DSS engagement.

Relevant Services

DarkPoint Security offers the full range of penetration testing services needed to satisfy PCI DSS requirements:

Frequently Asked Questions

PCI DSS requires penetration testing at least annually and after any significant change to the cardholder data environment. Significant changes include network architecture modifications, new system component installations, upgrades to operating systems or applications, and changes to firewall or router configurations that affect the cardholder data environment. Organizations should also consider additional testing after mergers, acquisitions, or major infrastructure migrations.

A Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) is a self-validation tool for merchants and service providers that process lower volumes of card transactions. A Report on Compliance (ROC) is a formal assessment conducted by a Qualified Security Assessor (QSA) and is required for Level 1 merchants and service providers processing high volumes of transactions. Both may require penetration testing depending on the SAQ type, but the ROC demands more rigorous documentation and evidence of testing activities.

Our PCI DSS penetration testing report includes a detailed scope definition mapping to your cardholder data environment, an executive summary of findings, technical details of each vulnerability with severity ratings aligned to PCI DSS risk categories, evidence of exploitation attempts, and prioritized remediation recommendations. The report is structured to satisfy QSA review requirements and includes attestation that testing covered both internal and external network segments as required by Requirement 11.3.

Yes. During the scoping phase of our engagement, we work with your team to identify all systems, networks, and applications that store, process, or transmit cardholder data, as well as any connected systems that could affect the security of the cardholder data environment. Proper scoping is critical to ensuring your penetration test satisfies PCI DSS requirements and that no in-scope systems are inadvertently excluded from the assessment.