PCI community begins 2014 SIG search

PCI Security Standards Council announces opening of Special Interest Group proposal period as members are invited to select next year’s focus areas

The Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) has just announced the start of thePCI Special Interest Group (SIG) proposal period for 2014 projects that will set the agenda for card security in coming months.

Beginning 1 June through 25 July participating organisations and members of the assessment community responsible for helping the Council manage the payment card security standards can submit ideas by filling out the online form on the SSC website.

Setting card security agenda

SIGs are PCI community-led initiatives that address specific areas or security challenges in relation to the PCI Standards. Results of SIG collaboration and PCI community participation so far include the publication of guidance papers on EMV, wireless, virtualisation, tokenisation, risk assessment, e-commerce andcloud computing. Current SIG projects focus on ‘Third Party Security Assurance’ and ‘Best Practices for Maintaining PCI DSS Compliance’. These current groups will present updates at the annual PCI community meetings before publishing their deliverables by early 2014.

“The real value in Special Interest Groups is that they are driven by the community at large. The ideas come from those who are living and breathing payment card security every day, representing a variety of industries and job functions,” commented Bob Russo, PCI Security Standards Council general manager. “Some of our most useful resources are products of these groups’ work. I’m excited to see what the community decides to explore in the coming year.”

Taking the next security steps

At the close of the submission period on 25 July, the PCI Council will review and consolidate the list of proposals that will subsequently be presented by participating organisations and assessors at this year’s European, North American and Asian community meetings. The Council will then notify the candidates and work with them to create a SIG charter prior to the community meeting presentation, to ensure participating organisations have a clear understanding of the suggested topic and deliverables before voting to select the most popular. 

In November, the participating organisation members will have the opportunity to vote in the SIG election, choosing up to three projects they would like the community and Council to pursue in partnership over the coming year.