PCI DSS v4.0: Beyond Firewalls — Why Airspace Monitoring is Critical

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If your business handles payment card data, PCI DSS 4.0 demands strict, continuous monitoring — including airspace.

Failure to comply can result in:

• Hefty fines ($5,000 to $100,000 per month)

• Legal liability for fraudulent transactions

• Mandatory forensic audits at your expense

• Card brand penalties (VISA, Mastercard, etc.)

• Reputational damage and customer attrition

• Possible business closure​

 

PCI DSS Requirements Directly Addressed by Airlock Sentinel

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Network Security Controls (Requirement 1)

• Continuous detection of unauthorized wireless access points, rogue devices, and Bluetooth skimmers.

• Active local whitelisting and authorized device inventory.

 

Protecting Stored & Transmitted Data (Requirements 3 & 4)

• Logs are encrypted, hashed, and securely transmitted using TLS and GPG.

• Full chain of custody and auditability for sensitive data.

 

Log Monitoring & Retention (Requirement 10)

• Immutable, tamper-evident logs stored securely and encrypted in the cloud.

• Full audit trails support incident response, compliance audits, and insurer evidence requirements.

Regular Security Testing (Requirement 11)

• 24/7 airspace scanning and rogue device detection, exceeding periodic scan mandates.

 

Ongoing Security Policies & Incident Response (Requirement 12)

• Automatic monitoring of service health and immediate alerts on suspicious activities (e.g., MITM attempts, rogue APs).

• Enables proactive compliance and supports continuous improvement programs.

 

Other Global and Sector-Specific Standards Supported

 

HIPAA / PHIPA / PIPEDA

• Protection of data in transit includes wireless transmission.

• Continuous risk management as mandated under US and Canadian health privacy laws.

 

GLBA (Financial Sector)

• Mandates strong safeguards against unauthorized access, explicitly covering wireless.

 

NIST (Federal / Defense)

• Continuous monitoring of all connections, including wireless and airspace (SP 800-53 & SP 800-171).

 

FERPA (Education)

• Requires security of student records in all states, including in transit.

 

ISO/IEC 27001

• Emphasizes secure network controls for all transmission channels, explicitly referencing wireless.

 

GDPR (EU)

• Article 32 requires appropriate technical controls to ensure data confidentiality and integrity — including wireless vectors.

 

TSA Cybersecurity Directives (Transportation)

• Continuous wireless monitoring and proactive rogue device detection.

 

CSA STAR (Cloud & SaaS Providers)

• Mandates network and wireless activity logging.

 

Bottom Line

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Being "compliant" no longer means a yearly checkbox.
It requires provable, continuous evidence of airspace vigilance — the same way logs, endpoint protection, and firewalls are documented today.

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Airlock Sentinel addresses these evolving global and sectoral requirements with encrypted, audit-ready logs and continuous monitoring, transforming wireless security from an invisible gap into a powerful compliance and risk mitigation asset.