Stop AI-Based Attacks While Automating PCI DSS 4.0 Compliance

Why Now

Cybercriminals are using AI to launch smarter, faster attacks like bypassing fraud detection or spreading malware. For businesses handling payment data, staying ahead of these threats is critical. By following PCI DSS 4.0 standards, companies can protect cardholder data and keep their apps secure, avoiding costly breaches and maintaining customer trust. In today’s landscape, ignoring these risks can lead to major financial and reputational damage.

The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a globally recognized set of security standards designed to protect cardholder data and ensure secure payment transactions. Introduced by the PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC), PCI DSS serves as a guideline for businesses that handle credit card transactions to safeguard sensitive information.

PCI DSS 4.0 builds on its predecessor and introduces more flexibility, clearer guidance, and a risk-based approach to security measures. The deadline for full implementation of PCI DSS version 4.0 is March 31, 2025. This includes adopting the 51 future-dated requirements added to the standard.

PCI DSS 4.0 Mobile App Security Requirements

Mobile apps have become a critical component of the payment landscape, and securing them is crucial for compliance with PCI DSS 4.0. Key mobile app security requirements include:

• Secure Data Storage and Transmission: Ensuring that sensitive data such as PAN (Primary Account Number), expiration dates, and card verification values (CVV) are encrypted and never stored beyond what is necessary for payment processing.
• End-to-End Encryption: Encrypting all communications between the mobile app and the backend servers to protect cardholder data from interception or unauthorized access.
• Vulnerability Management: Regularly testing and identifying vulnerabilities within the mobile app through security scans, penetration testing, and patch deployment to address issues.
• Mobile Threat Defense: Protecting against mobile-specific threats such as rooted/jailbroken devices, tampered apps, and unauthorized third-party access to app data or functionality.
• User Authentication and Authorization: Strengthening user authentication processes within mobile apps, ensure secure access to payment data and personal information.

Stop AI-Based Attacks While Automating PCI DSS 4.0 Compliance for Mobile Apps

Appdome enables organizations to quickly meet PCI DSS 4.0 requirements without extensive code changes or manual development efforts. Here’s how Appdome and its partners ensure compliance while providing comprehensive mobile app security and fraud prevention:

1. Secure Data Storage and Transmission (PCI 4, 3.6.3, 6.5.3, 8.2.1, 4.2, 4.1, 4.1.1, 6.5.4, A2): Appdome provides AES 256-bit encryption to all application data. It also protects all data in transit using a comprehensive set of default and optional protections, including: certificate inspection and validation, CA validation, malicious proxy prevention, Man-in-the-middle attack detection and protection, secure certificate pinning, minimum TLS version enforcement, minimum cipher suites enforcement, session hijacking prevention.
2. End-to-End, Dynamic Encryption (PCI 5, 3.6, 3.6.1, 3.6.2): Appdome uses dynamically generated keys to decrypt data that is encrypted using Appdome. This dynamic encryption is accomplished without any dependencies on the data structure, databases or file structures and all keys are protected tampering, reversing inside the app by Apdpome. The key, while in use, is available only to Appdome and wiped immediately after use. There is no persistent store of keys inside mobile apps protected by Appdome, unique protecting PAN, expiration dates and other data. Appdome’s encryption does not impact app behavior. Developers coding encryption themselves would have to choose encryption components from a wide variety of libraries, cipher strengths, and key stores and then need to integrate those components.
3. Vulnerability Management (PCI 11): Appdome partners including SecureLayer7, NowSecure, Quokka, AppKnox and others provide security scans and penetration testing to identify vulnerabilities.
4. Mobile Threat Defense (PCI 3, 6.5.2, A3.2.6): Appdome provides hundreds of features for runtime application self-protection (RASP), mobile privacy, anti- tampering, anti-reverse engineering, and AI-based attacks such as facial ID bypass using deepfakes. These protections include features against malware and jailbroken devices—key features that help protect mobile apps from malicious attacks and keep sensitive payment data secure.
5. Continuous Monitoring and Threat Intelligence (PCI 5.1): With Appdome’s Threatscope, organizations can continuously monitor for threats and attacks in their mobile applications, helping them comply with PCI DSS 4.0’s focus on proactive security monitoring. With Appdome’s GenAI powered Threat Resolution, end users get step-by-step guidance to support teams and end users on how to resolve threats and attacks on mobile devices.
6. Enhancing MFA (PCI 4): While MFA provides a solid defense against unauthorized access, Appdome goes further by protecting against account takeovers, credential stuffing, rooting/jailbreaking, tampering, reverse engineering and social engineering. By automatically detecting and blocking unauthorized attempts to access or manipulate the app in real time, Appdome stops attackers from compromising user accounts, even in advanced scenarios.

Benefits of Buying v. Building

Companies requiring high security, speed, and agility in their app development need CI/CD, automated remediation and test automation platforms. To get ahead of hackers launching AI-based attacks while releasing apps with the latest functionality users demand, companies need every edge, including:

• Speed and Simplicity: An AI-based platform automates the addition of protections against AI-based attacks and security compliance without complex coding or lengthy development This significantly reduces time-to-market for mobile apps while ensuring they remain secure and compliant.
• Lower Cost of Development and Maintenance: Coding protections in-house requires a team with a high level of expertise, resources, and time to maintain security over the app’s Instead of manually coding protections, companies use Appdome to avoid overburdening their dev teams.
• Stay Ahead of New Threats: Modern mobile app threats are diverse and constantly Building in-house security might lag behind in addressing all potential vulnerabilities. Appdome automates the integration of advanced protections (like encryption, anti-tampering, and mobile fraud prevention), keeping up with the latest security standards and threats. This eliminates the need to cobble together multiple security tools and ensures comprehensive coverage.
• Time to Market: Using Appdome automates builds of secured apps without having developers change source This means apps are secured in minutes instead of weeks/months or longer.
• DevOps Interoperability: Appdome has APIs and pre-built integrations for CI/CD vendors such as Bitrise, Jenkins, Azure DevOps and test automation vendors such as Kobiton, Katalon, LambdaTest, Saucelabs, Tricentis and This means organizations can automate building, securing and testing for on-time releases, every release.
• Tailored for Mobile: While other solutions may offer security features for web or on- on-premises environments, Appdome is specifically designed for mobile This means organizations get specialized mobile app security that aligns with PCI DSS 4.0’s mobile-specific requirements.
• Future-Proof Compliance: Appdome continuously updates its platform to stay aligned with evolving security standards like PCI This ensures that organizations are always compliant with the latest standards and best practices, reducing the risk of non-compliance.
• Reduced Development Burden: By automating the security process, Appdome frees up development teams from manually implementing and testing security features. This allows them to focus on creating great user experiences while ensuring PCI DSS 4.0 compliance.

Conclusion

As businesses transition to PCI DSS 4.0, ensuring mobile app security is crucial for maintaining compliance and protecting cardholder data. Organizations need an efficient, no-code solution to help organizations quickly build, secure and test all their mobile apps. This way they can meet the stringent requirements of PCI DSS 4.0 without the need for manual coding, manual testing or lengthy development cycles. With a no-code, mobile- specific, end-to-end solution, businesses can stay compliant, reduce security risks, and provide secure payment experiences to their customers—faster and more efficiently than traditional solutions.