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The PCI DSS requires that access to databases containing cardholder data is restricted to authorized users and applications, and that direct access to such databases is prohibited. According to the PCI DSS Requirement 7.1.2, “Restrict access to privileged user IDs to least privileges necessary to perform job responsibilities.” Furthermore, according to the PCI DSS Requirement 8.3.1, “Implement multi-factor authentication for all non-console access into the cardholder data environment for personnel with administrative access.” Therefore, the scenario that meets the PCI DSS requirements for restricting access to databases containing cardholder data is the one where user access to the database is only through programmatic methods, such as through an application interface that enforces authentication, authorization, and encryption. The other scenarios either allow direct access to the database, or do not limit the access to the least privileges necessary, or do not use multi-factor authentication for administrative access. References: [PCI DSS v3.2.1], Card Production Security Assessor - Logical - Credly

PCI DSS Requirement 10.5.5 states that entities must restrict access to audit logs to those with a job-related need1. This is to prevent unauthorized or malicious users from tampering with or deleting the audit logs, which could compromise the integrity andavailability of the logs and hinder the detection and investigation of security incidents. Audit logs contain sensitive and confidential information, such as cardholder data, user identities, system activities, and security events, and therefore must be protected from unauthorized viewing, modification, or deletion2. Individuals with a job-related need are those who have a legitimate and documented business reason to access the audit logs, such as system administrators, security personnel, auditors, or investigators3. Therefore, the correct answer is option D.

The other options are not true regarding the access control for audit log files. Option A is not true because individuals who performed the logged activity may not have a job-related need to view the audit logs, and may have a conflict of interest or malicious intent to alter or erase the logs. Option B is not true because individuals with read/write access may not have a job-related need to access the audit logs, and may pose a risk of unauthorized or accidental modification or deletion of the logs. Option C is not true because individuals with administrator privileges may not have a job-related need to access the audit logs, and may abuse their privileges or be targeted by attackers to compromise the logs. References:

PCI DSS v3.2.1

Effective Daily Log Monitoring - PCI Security Standards Council

Logging for PCI DSS Compliance - Tueoris

According to the PCI DSS v3.2.1 Quick Reference Guide1, devices are periodically inspected to detect unauthorized card stammers using physical inspection or other methods such as software-based tools or network-based tools (such as firewalls). This is one of the requirements for preventing card skimming attacks that could compromise cardholder data.

Hashing is a form of one-way encryption that transforms a data element into a unique fixed-size data element (hash value) without a way to get the original data element from the hash value1. Truncation is a method of rendering the full PAN unreadable by permanently removing a segment of the PAN data2. PCI DSS Requirement 3.4 states that entities must render the PAN unreadable wherever it is stored, using any of the following methods: one-way hashes based on strong cryptography, truncation, index tokens and pads, or strong cryptography with associated key-management processes and procedures3. However, PCI DSS Requirement 3.4e also states that if hashed and truncated versions of the same PAN are present in the environment, additional controls must be in place to ensure that the hashed and truncated versions cannot be correlated to reconstruct the original PAN3. This is because if an attacker obtains both the hashed and truncated versions of the same PAN, they may be able to use a brute-force or dictionary attack to guess the original PAN by hashing and truncating different PAN values until they find a match4. Therefore, the correct answer is option A.

The other options are not true regarding the presence of both hashed and truncated versions of the same PAN in an environment. Option B is not true because PCI DSS does not require the hashed version of the PAN to be also truncated, although it is a recommended best practice to further reduce the risk of exposing the original PAN5. Option C is not true because PCI DSS does not require the hashed and truncated versions to be correlated, as this would defeat the purpose of rendering the PAN unreadable and increase the risk of exposing the original PAN. Option D is not true because PCI DSS does not prohibit the presence of both hashed and truncated versions of the same PAN in the same environment, as long as additional controls are in place to prevent the reconstruction of the original PAN. References:

Protect hashed CardHolder Data according to PCI DSS 3.4 - Advantio

PCI DSS Truncation Rules and Guidelines - Truvantis

PCI DSS v3.2.1

Storing Card Numbers using hashed and truncated version of PAN

pci dss - Credit card data security - hashing, truncation and encryption - Information Security Stack Exchange

According to the PCI DSS v3.2.1 Quick Reference Guide1, passwords for default accounts and default administrative accounts should be changed before installing a system on the network. This is one of the requirements for preventing unauthorized access to cardholder data.

According to the PCI DSS v3.2.1 Quick Reference Guide1, system configuration and parameter files must be monitored by a change-detection mechanism (for example, a file-integrity monitoring tool). This is one of the requirements for ensuring that changes to system configuration and parameter files are detected and verified.

According to the PCI DSS v3.2.1 Quick Reference Guide1, quarterly means occurring at some point in each quarter of a year, not at least once every 95 or 97 days. This is one of the requirements for ensuring that PCI DSS assessments are conducted on a regular basis.

According to the PCI DSS v3.2.1 Quick Reference Guide1, installing one primary function per server is intended to prevent server functions with a lower security level from introducingsecurity weaknesses to higher-security functions on the same server. This is one of the requirements for ensuring that server functions are isolated from each other.

According to the PCI DSS v3.2.1 Quick Reference Guide1, the intent of assigning a risk ranking to vulnerabilities is to prioritize the highest risk items so they can be addressed more quickly, rather than ensuring all vulnerabilities are addressed within 30 days or replacing the need to quarterly ASV scans or ensuring that critical security patches are installed at least quarterly. This is one of the requirements for ensuring that vulnerabilities are identified and mitigated as soon as possible.

 One of the best practices for hardening a firewall is to disable any firewall functions that are not needed in production, such as unused services, ports, protocols, or features. This reduces the attack surface and minimizes the potential for exploitation. According to the PCI Card Production Logical Security Requirements, section 3.2.1, “The firewall must be configured to deny all traffic by default and allow only traffic that is explicitly required for the card production environment.” Furthermore, section 3.2.2 states, “The firewall must be configured to block all unnecessary services, ports, protocols, and IP addresses.” References: PCI Card Production Logical Security Requirements, Card Production Security Assessor - Logical - Credly