ThreatNG for QSAs: How External GRC Assessment Mappings Streamline PCI Audits
As a Qualified Security Assessor (QSA), you are a security professional who helps businesses become compliant with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). This standard is a set of rules for companies that handle credit card information.
A significant portion of your role involves manually linking security issues you identify to the corresponding PCI DSS requirements. This can be a time-consuming and complicated process. Traditional security reports give you a lot of raw data, but it's up to you to figure out how that data fits into the detailed compliance framework.
ThreatNG's External GRC Assessment Mappings feature solves this problem. It directly links external security findings to the relevant PCI DSS requirements, making your audit process simpler and more efficient.
This solution works from an attacker's perspective, continuously and externally, with no need for connectors. It gives you a pre-mapped report that mirrors how an adversary would view your client's security, providing a unique "outside-in" perspective. This helps you save time and focus on giving clients more valuable, strategic advice.
How ThreatNG Complements Your Current Efforts
ThreatNG automatically translates complex external findings into a clear, compliance-centric format, which saves you from the manual effort of mapping risks to requirements. This allows you to focus on providing impactful recommendations rather than deciphering raw data.
For instance, a traditional ASV scan might flag a missing Content Security Policy (CSP) header as a low-severity finding. ThreatNG, however, provides a detailed list of affected subdomains and maps this directly to PCI DSS Requirement 6.4.3 (Public-facing web application protection). This pre-mapping allows you to provide a more granular and actionable recommendation, such as detailing how the lack of a CSP could enable Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks, which is a key threat this control is meant to mitigate.
Here are more examples of how this pre-mapping streamlines your work:
Data-in-Transit Issues: If ThreatNG detects "Subdomains with No Automatic HTTPS Redirect", its GRC mapping links this finding directly to PCI DSS Requirement 4.2.1.1 (Strong cryptography for CHD transmission). This provides clear evidence that the client's public-facing application is susceptible to downgrade attacks, potentially exposing CHD in transit.
Configuration Weaknesses: When ThreatNG identifies insecure configurations, such as "Subdomains Missing X-Content-Type Header" or "Subdomains Missing X-Frame-Options", it maps these directly to PCI DSS Requirement 2.2.6 (Secure configurations for all system components) and 6.4.2 (Application security controls). This allows you to quickly highlight configuration gaps that could enable MIME-sniffing or clickjacking attacks, which are often missed by broad policy checks.
Asset Inventory and Oversight: The presence or absence of a "Bug Bounty" program can also provide you with insights into a client's security posture and its alignment with PCI DSS Requirements 6.3 (Develop and maintain secure systems and applications) and 11.3 (Regularly test security systems and processes).
Opening New Opportunities for Your Practice
The efficiency and granular insight provided by ThreatNG’s GRC mappings open doors for you to provide new, high-value advisory services, shifting your role from a reactive auditor to a proactive security partner. Here are some examples:
Specialized Security Consulting: ThreatNG's ability to discover and identify the presence of Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) allows you to move beyond generic audit findings and offer specialized consulting. For instance, if ThreatNG's external assessment identifies that a WAF is "Missing" on a subdomain, along with other insecure configurations like missing security headers, this finding can lead to new advisory services. You can now focus on helping clients implement a WAF or secure coding training programs to harden their applications against attacks, thereby directly addressing critical gaps in their public-facing web application security.
Continuous Compliance Monitoring: With ThreatNG’s continuous monitoring capability, you can offer a new service to help clients stay continuously compliant throughout the year, rather than just preparing for the annual audit. This positions you as an essential, year-round partner dedicated to genuine security.
From Audit to Advisory: How ThreatNG Strengthens Your Practice and Your Clients' Security
ThreatNG's External GRC Assessment Mappings empower you to be more efficient and deliver more impactful, data-backed findings. It is not a replacement for your expertise or mandatory scans, but a powerful complement that provides a unique attacker-centric view of your client's posture. This allows you to move beyond the traditional "check-the-box" mentality and transition your client relationships toward a more strategic, continuous compliance model. By helping your clients achieve a more robust and resilient security posture, you solidify your reputation as a forward-thinking QSA committed to genuine security.
Ready to see how ThreatNG can enhance your PCI practice? Check out a free evaluation of your organization's external attack surface today.