Can a service provider redact information in the PCI DSS Attestation of Compliance before providing it to customers?
Yes, providing that the Attestation of Compliance (AOC) includes all information relevant to the services offered to customers. The level of detail provided in an AOC to customers might be less than that required for compliance reporting (that is, to a payment brand or acquirer as part of the service provider?s PCI DSS validation). For example, it may not be necessary for customers to know the city where a data center is located, or details about the applications and technologies present in the cardholder data environment (CDE).
Information that is considered sensitive or confidential and is not relevant to the services offered to customers may be redacted. Where sensitive or confidential information is relevant to the services offered to customers, service providers should consider a confidentiality agreement with those customers so that such information can be freely shared.
Examples of AOC sections that should not be redacted because they include information relevant to customers include:
- Part 1: Contact Information
- Part 2a: Scope Verification
- Part 2f: Third-Party Service Providers
- Part 2g: Summary of Assessment
- Section 2: Report on Compliance or Section 2: Self-Assessment Questionnaire D for Service Providers
- Section 3: Validation and Attestation Details
Sharing the AOC with customers may be preferred to sharing the full validation report (the Report on Compliance (ROC) or Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) D for Service Providers). However, for the AOC to have value to customers, the information contained within must provide a meaningful summary of the assessed environment AND provide customers with assurance that the assessment covers the services that customers use.
Note: It is not permitted to redact any content from the signed AOC prior to submitting to a payment brand or acquirer for compliance validation purposes.
Entities should contact the payment brands directly for information about their compliance programs and reporting requirements. Contact details for the payment brands can be found in FAQ 1142: How do I contact the payment card brands?
See also FAQ #1220: Are compliance certificates recognized for PCI DSS validation?