FAQ #1281 Diff

Are point-of-sale devices required to be physically secured (e.g. with a cable or tether) to prevent removal or substitution in order to meet PCI DSS Requirement 9.9?

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No,. PCI DSS Requirement 9.9 does not require devices to be fixed in place or physically attached to a surface. Requirement 9.9 and its three sub-requirements address three areas of device security:

Maintaining an up-to-date list of devices
Periodically inspecting devices to detect tampering or replacement, and
Providing training for personnel to be aware of suspicious behavior and detect attempts to tamper with or replace devices

Note that Requirement 9.9 applies only to card-reading devices (that is, where the card is physically swiped or dipped) at the point of sale. The requirement is also recommended, but is not required, for manual key-entry components such as computer keyboards and POS keypads
does not require that point-of-interaction (POI) devices be physically attached or fixed in place. However, Requirements under Requirement 9.5.1 require controls to detect and prevent tampering or unauthorized substitution of POI devices that capture payment card data via direct interaction with the payment card form factor.

These controls include:

Maintaining an inventory of deployed POI devices.
Periodic inspections for signs of tampering or substitution.
Training staff to recognize suspicious behavior and to report device alterations.

These requirements apply to deployed POI devices used for card-present transactions (e.g., swipe, dip, or tap). These requirements do not apply to manual PAN entry or COTS devices (e.g., keyboards, tablets, or phones), although similar protections are considered best practice
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