External PCI Gap Detection
In cybersecurity, External PCI Gap Detection refers to the proactive and continuous process of identifying discrepancies or weaknesses in an organization's publicly exposed digital assets and processes that could lead to non-compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). It's about finding the "holes" or misalignments between the mandated PCI DSS controls and how an organization's external-facing environment operates, from an attacker's perspective.
This process focuses on external elements because attackers don't operate within an organization's internal network; they exploit vulnerabilities and misconfigurations visible from the outside. External PCI Gap Detection aims to uncover:
Undocumented or Shadow Assets: Discovering internet-facing systems, applications, or cloud services that store, process, or transmit cardholder data (CHD) that are not formally tracked, inventoried, or secured according to PCI DSS.
Misconfigured Public Services: Identifying external services (e.g., web servers, databases, APIs) with insecure default settings, weak encryption, open unnecessary ports, or missing security headers that PCI DSS mandates for public-facing components.
Insecure Data Transmission: Detecting instances where CHD or sensitive authentication data might be transmitted over unencrypted channels or through insecure protocols when visible externally.
Authentication Weaknesses: Uncovering publicly exposed login pages or remote access points that lack strong authentication mechanisms, such as multi-factor authentication (MFA), makes them vulnerable to brute-force or credential stuffing attacks.
Vulnerability Management Deficiencies: Identifying critical or high-severity vulnerabilities on external-facing assets that have not been patched or remediated promptly, which could be exploited to compromise the Cardholder Data Environment (CDE).
Data Leakage Points: Discovering inadvertent exposure of sensitive information (e.g., credentials, API keys, internal documents, or CHD fragments) in public code repositories, cloud storage, or on the dark web.
Third-Party Vendor Exposure: Assessing the external security posture of third-party service providers with access to the organization's CHD or CDE, as their vulnerabilities can directly impact the organization's compliance.
DNS and Domain Security Issues: Spotting weaknesses in domain configurations, such as missing DNSSEC or WHOIS privacy, that could lead to domain hijacking or phishing campaigns.
The primary objective of External PCI Gap Detection is to provide actionable intelligence that allows organizations to proactively address potential compliance failures before they are identified by auditors or, more critically, exploited by malicious actors. It helps organizations maintain a robust and compliant external security posture, continuously reducing their attack surface relevant to payment card data protection.
ThreatNG, an all-in-one external attack surface management, digital risk protection, and security ratings solution, can significantly help organizations with External PCI Gap Detection by providing a continuous, attacker eye view of their digital footprint related to cardholder data.
External Discovery & Continuous Monitoring
ThreatNG performs purely external, unauthenticated discovery, identifying assets and risks from an attacker's perspective without needing connectors. This is critical for External PCI Gap Detection because it uncovers unknown or rogue assets that might be storing, processing, or transmitting cardholder data (CHD) and thus fall within PCI DSS scope. ThreatNG monitors an organization's external attack surface, digital risk, and security ratings. This ongoing monitoring ensures that new exposures or changes to existing assets that could impact PCI DSS compliance are immediately identified, providing real-time visibility into potential gaps.
Examples of ThreatNG's help:
Identifying Undocumented Assets: ThreatNG can discover "Applications Identified" and login pages that the organization may not have formally tracked. If these applications handle CHD, their discovery is vital for External PCI Gap Detection, ensuring they are inventoried and secured according to PCI DSS Requirement 1.4.2. ThreatNG's continuous discovery helps ensure all such interfaces are known, tracked, and subject to proper security governance.
Detecting New Exposures from Misconfigurations: Through continuous monitoring, ThreatNG can identify newly exposed services on non-standard ports, as indicated by "Custom Port Scan" results or "Default Port Scan" findings. If these ports are open to services that could lead to the CDE, ThreatNG's immediate identification allows for proactive security measures, preventing potential entry points for attackers. This directly relates to PCI DSS Requirement 1.1.6 (restricting traffic to necessary ports).
ThreatNG performs a variety of external assessments that directly contribute to External PCI Gap Detection by highlighting potential attack vectors and data leakage points from an external perspective:
Cyber Risk Exposure: This assessment considers parameters like certificates, subdomain headers, vulnerabilities, and sensitive ports. It also factors in "Code Secret Exposure", which involves discovering code repositories and investigating their contents for sensitive data. These are all critical components for understanding external exposure that could lead to CDE compromise.
Example: ThreatNG detecting "Invalid Certificates" on a public-facing web application highlights a weakness in cryptographic protection. This contributes to External PCI Gap Detection by revealing a potential vulnerability that could be exploited for man-in-the-middle attacks, potentially affecting CHD in transit (PCI DSS 4.2.1).
Example: The discovery of "Private IPs Found" in public DNS reveals internal network architecture. ThreatNG identified this information, which can bypass network segmentation. This makes it a critical component of External PCI Gap Detection as it exposes systems crucial for protecting cardholder data (PCI DSS 1.1.1).
Cloud and SaaS Exposure: ThreatNG evaluates sanctioned and unsanctioned cloud services and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions, including identifying "Open Exposed Cloud Buckets" of AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform. This is crucial for External PCI Gap Detection, as cloud environments are frequently used for storing or processing CHD, and unknown or misconfigured instances pose a significant risk.
Example: ThreatNG discovering "Files in Open Cloud Buckets" directly highlights a data exposure risk that could include CHD. This finding immediately adds a critical, potentially overlooked, component to External PCI Gap Detection that must be addressed per PCI DSS 3.1.1 (retain cardholder data only if required).
Mobile App Exposure: ThreatNG evaluates how exposed an organization's mobile apps are through discovery in marketplaces and by analyzing their content for "Access Credentials," "Security Credentials," and "Platform Specific Id” Mobile applications can directly interact with or expose CHD.
Example: ThreatNG identifying "Mobile Application Exposure Sensitive Information Found" means sensitive data, such as APIs or basic auth credentials, are present within mobile applications. This finding is critical for External PCI Gap Detection as it points to potential violations of PCI DSS requirements related to sensitive authentication data storage (PCI DSS 3.2).
Breach & Ransomware Susceptibility: This assessment considers exposed sensitive ports, private IPs, known vulnerabilities, compromised credentials, and ransomware events/gang activity. These findings directly inform External PCI Gap Detection by identifying specific points of weakness and active threats that attackers could target to compromise the CDE.
Example: ThreatNG identifies "Ransomware events" associated with the organization and provides intelligence about active data availability and integrity threats. This directly contributes to External PCI Gap Detection, prompting immediate activation of incident response procedures (PCI DSS 12.10.5).
ThreatNG provides comprehensive reports, including an "Inventory" report, "Security Ratings", and "External GRC Assessment Mappings (eg, PCI DSS)". These reports are invaluable for identifying and communicating External PCI Gaps:
The Inventory report directly supports the ongoing cataloging of assets that are part of or linked to the CDE's external attack surface.
External GRC Assessment Mappings allow organizations to see how discovered external risks, like "Subdomains Missing Content Security Policy," align with specific PCI DSS requirements. This helps prioritize remediation efforts for exposures that most directly impact PCI DSS compliance and security, informing the management of External PCI Gaps.
ThreatNG's core capability is "Continuous Monitoring of external attack surface, digital risk, and security ratings of all organizations". This is fundamental to External PCI Gap Detection, as the external attack surface is dynamic. New assets can be deployed, configurations can change, or sensitive data can be inadvertently exposed. Continuous monitoring ensures that External PCI Gaps are identified as soon as they appear, providing real-time awareness and allowing for prompt remediation.
ThreatNG's investigation modules provide detailed insights that are critical for identifying and understanding External PCI Gaps:
Domain Intelligence: This module comprehensively overviews an organization's digital presence, including DNS Intelligence (Domain Record Analysis, Domain Name Permutations, Web3 Domains), Email Intelligence, WHOIS Intelligence, and Subdomain Intelligence.
Example: Through Subdomain Intelligence, ThreatNG can identify "APIs on Subdomains". If these APIs handle payment data, their discovery is vital for External PCI Gap Detection, ensuring they are included in the CDE's security scope and subjected to secure coding practices (PCI DSS 6.5.1).
Example: When ThreatNG performs a "Default Port Scan" as part of its Subdomain Intelligence, it identifies externally exposed ports. Suppose sensitive ports like those for databases (e.g., SQL Server, MySQL) or remote access (e.g., RDP, SSH) are open externally. In that case, this directly indicates potential unauthorized access points that constitute an External PCI Gap and must be secured with firewalls (PCI DSS 1.2.1).
Sensitive Code Exposure: This module discovers sensitive information within public code repositories.
Example: If ThreatNG finds "Code Secrets Found" such as API keys (e.g., Stripe API key) or cloud credentials (e.g., AWS Access Key ID Value) in a public repository, these represent potential backdoor access points to systems within or connected to the CDE. This provides critical data for External PCI Gap Detection, demanding immediate credential revocation and secure development practices (PCI DSS 6.6).
Cloud and SaaS Exposure: ThreatNG discovers "Sanctioned Cloud Services," "Unsanctioned Cloud Services," "Cloud Service Impersonations," and "Open Exposed Cloud Buckets" across major providers.
Example: Discovering an "Open Exposed Cloud Bucket" through Cloud and SaaS Exposure directly reveals an unintended storage location that might contain CHD. This immediately becomes a critical piece of External PCI Gap Detection, highlighting the need to restrict access based on need-to-know (PCI DSS 7.2.1).
Intelligence Repositories (DarCache)
ThreatNG's continuously updated intelligence repositories provide vital context for identifying External PCI Gaps by providing threat context and vulnerability details:
Dark Web (DarCache Dark Web): This includes "Compromised Credentials (DarCache Rupture)" and "Ransomware Groups and Activities (DarCache Ransomware)".
Example: "DarCache Rupture" (Compromised Credentials) identifies leaked usernames and passwords. If these credentials belong to personnel with CDE access, this intelligence is immediately critical for External PCI Gap Detection, as it indicates a direct pathway for unauthorized access (PCI DSS 8.3.1).
Vulnerabilities (DarCache Vulnerability): This includes NVD (DarCache NVD), EPSS (DarCache EPSS), KEV (DarCache KEV), and Verified Proof-of-Concept (PoC) Exploits (DarCache eXploit).
Example: "DarCache KEV" identifies "Vulnerabilities actively exploiting in the wild". Suppose ThreatNG detects an internet-facing asset (identified as part of the CDE's external footprint) with a KEV vulnerability. In that case, this intelligence immediately highlights an immediate, proven External PCI Gap, mandating rapid patching prioritization (PCI DSS 6.2.3). "DarCache eXploit" provides direct links to PoC exploits, enabling security teams to reproduce vulnerabilities and understand their real-world impact to develop effective mitigation strategies, enhancing External PCI Gap Detection.
Working with Complementary Solutions
ThreatNG's capabilities create powerful synergies when combined with other cybersecurity solutions, significantly enhancing an organization's efforts to identify and close External PCI Gaps.
Vulnerability Management (VM) Platforms: ThreatNG's external assessment capabilities, particularly its identification of "Critical Severity Vulnerabilities Found" and "High Severity Vulnerabilities Found" on external subdomains, provide a crucial external perspective that complements VM platforms.
Example: ThreatNG can flag an exposed web application with a critical vulnerability. This External PCI Gap insight can then be pushed to a VM platform to initiate deeper, authenticated scans of the application's internal components. This combined approach ensures that external and internal vulnerabilities that could expose the CDE are identified and prioritized for remediation, supporting PCI DSS 6.2.3 (addressing security vulnerabilities) and 11.3.1 (annual external penetration testing).
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) Systems: ThreatNG's findings from its various assessment modules can be integrated into a SIEM.
Example: Details about "Admin Page References" or "Custom Port Scan" results, revealing unexpected open ports on external interfaces, can be fed into the SIEM. The SIEM can then correlate these external insights with internal log data to detect suspicious access attempts or activities targeting these newly identified or unmanaged attack surface components, supporting PCI DSS 10.2.1 (logging access to system components) and 10.6.1 (monitoring and responding to security alerts).
Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) Tools: ThreatNG's "Cloud and SaaS Exposure" capability identifies externally exposed cloud resources and misconfigurations.
Example: ThreatNG might discover an "Open Exposed Cloud Bucket" potentially containing CHD. This External PCI Gap insight can trigger a more granular internal scan by a CSPM tool to confirm data presence, assess misconfigurations, and ensure access controls are aligned with PCI DSS 7.2.1 (restrict access based on need-to-know) and 3.4.1 (render stored PAN unreadable). The CSPM tool can continuously monitor the cloud environment for new exposures, improving overall External PCI Gap Detection.
Digital Risk Protection (DRP) Solutions: ThreatNG's "Brand Damage Susceptibility" and "BEC & Phishing Susceptibility" assessments, which include identifying "Domain Name Permutations - Taken" and "Dark Web Presence", align closely with the broader scope of DRP.
Example: ThreatNG's "Domain Name Permutations - Taken with Mail Record" discovery provides high-confidence intelligence about potential phishing infrastructure. This External PCI Gap insight can be fed into a DRP solution to monitor these domains for active campaigns and block them, significantly reducing the risk of social engineering attacks that could compromise CDE access (PCI DSS 5.4.1).
