Empowering QSAs: Uncovering Hidden PCI Risk with ThreatNG
As a Qualified Security Assessor (QSA), you are an expert responsible for evaluating an organization's compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). Your job is to ensure that companies handling credit card data maintain security. Your credibility and the safety of your clients' data depend on your ability to understand their complete risk profile.
To do this, you use tools like an Approved Scanning Vendor (ASV) and internal vulnerability scans. These are a core part of PCI DSS compliance and are great for finding "known-knowns"—vulnerabilities that have already been identified and have signatures for detection. However, this approach has a central blind spot: it can't find the "unknown-unknowns" that modern attackers often use.
ThreatNG helps you close this gap. It's an external, frictionless solution that continuously monitors an organization from an attacker's point of view, with no connectors needed. This approach helps you find the non-technical and broader digital risks that traditional scanners miss, giving you a more complete and accurate picture of your client’s external security.
Here are some examples of how ThreatNG’s complementary capabilities help you uncover these critical blind spots:
Compromised Credentials: ThreatNG actively monitors the dark web and other sources for intelligence on "Compromised Emails". This is a critical threat that "traditional scans do not possess the capability to search for". This intelligence is a vital piece of evidence that directly impacts PCI DSS Requirements 8.3.1 (Multi-Factor Authentication for remote access to the CDE) and 12.10.5 (Incident Response). ThreatNG gives you concrete evidence of a potential threat vector, enabling you to test a client’s actual response capabilities rather than just reviewing a policy.
Sensitive Code Leaks: ThreatNG discovers and analyzes public code repositories for "Code Secrets Found", such as API keys and database credentials. This is a "critical data leakage risk" that serves as a "significant attack vector for unauthorized access" , which traditional scanners cannot find because they do not analyze code repositories for sensitive information. This intelligence helps you validate compliance with PCI DSS 3.2 (not storing sensitive authentication data) and 6.6 (secure web applications). For example, finding a hardcoded Stripe API key in a public GitHub repository provides definitive evidence of a severe exposure.
Misconfigured Cloud Assets: Unlike traditional scans, which focus on predefined IP addresses, ThreatNG detects "Files in Open Cloud Buckets" that are publicly accessible. This is a non-traditional risk that bypasses network-centric scans and directly impacts PCI DSS data protection requirements. For example, discovering unencrypted transaction logs in a publicly accessible Amazon S3 bucket immediately provides a critical finding that a traditional ASV scan would miss.
BEC and Phishing Susceptibility: ThreatNG identifies "Domain Name Permutations - Taken with Mail Record", which are prime indicators of phishing infrastructure that "traditional scans do not perform". This capability provides intelligence on social engineering risks and helps you validate compliance with PCI DSS 5.4.1 (protecting personnel and systems from phishing attacks).
Subdomain Takeover Susceptibility: ThreatNG assesses a website’s susceptibility to subdomain takeovers by analyzing DNS records and other relevant factors. This is a critical external risk often missed by network-centric scans but is directly applicable to PCI DSS 1.4.2 (maintaining an inventory of system components) and 11.3.1 (external penetration testing).
How This Opens New Opportunities for You as a QSA
Leveraging ThreatNG’s intelligence not only enhances your current assessments but also opens new avenues for advisory services:
Enhanced Scope Validation: ThreatNG’s continuous discovery uncovers "shadow IT" and unknown assets that might fall into the PCI scope. By cross-referencing these findings with the client’s provided scope, you can ensure a "truly comprehensive" assessment, which strengthens your credibility and reduces your risk of delivering an incomplete Attestation of Compliance (AOC).
Intelligent Remediation Advice: ThreatNG’s DarCache Vulnerability intelligence repository goes beyond static CVSS scores by integrating EPSS, KEV, and Proof-of-Concept (PoC) Exploits. This allows you to provide a more intelligent, risk-based approach to remediation, focusing clients on vulnerabilities that are "actively being exploited in the wild" rather than just a list of high-severity findings.
Beyond Known-Knowns: Uncovering the Full Spectrum of PCI Risk with ThreatNG
While traditional PCI vulnerability scans are a non-negotiable requirement, they are inherently limited to a "snapshot-in-time" assessment of "known technical vulnerabilities". ThreatNG is not a replacement but a powerful and essential complement that helps you address these limitations by providing continuous, attacker-centric intelligence on the "unknown-unknowns" that pose a real threat. By partnering with ThreatNG, you can move beyond a reactive, audit-driven compliance model and help your clients achieve a more robust and resilient security posture. This ultimately allows you to 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.