Take a left turn, by Netream

Take a left turn, by Netream

Thanks to Smiley for the tip!  See the final word here.

MasterCard has posted a change to their Site Data Protection program that requires Level 2 merchants to use a QSA and an on-site assessment. This is a dramatic change from the current, industry wide requirement of self-assessing for merchants processing less than six million transactions annually.

While this is definitely going to put a dent in Level 2 merchant budgets from this point on, I truly believe that this is a smart move by MasterCard. Level 2 merchants are extremely significant in size, many of which being household names. Unfortunately, PCI self-assessments are typically poorly handled simply due to the complexity of the standard and lack of training provided to those individuals performing the assessment. When our folks are contracted to review these, we typically find that a previously fully in-place Self Assessment Questionnaire is only about 70% accurate. Meaning, that 30% of the items answered “Yes” or “N/A” are actually “No.”

So far, none of the other card brands have changed their status.

It’s unclear if others will follow suit, but regardless, if you are defined as a Level 2 merchant with ANY card brand, you are automatically a Level 2 with MasterCard, and are now required to have an on-site assessment.

Update: MasterCard has the FLIP FLOPS!  Check their retraction here.

This post originally appeared on BrandenWilliams.com.

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