Governance Intelligence · Framework

PCI DSS Mobile

Payment Card Industry Data Security for Mobile

Payment SecurityCardholder DataBFSI Mandatory

PCI DSS requirements applied to mobile payment apps — cardholder data protection, tokenization, mobile POS security, and SAQ scope reduction strategies for BFSI.

Core Requirements

PCI DSS v4

Mobile-relevant Reqs

R3, R4, R6, R8, R10

A-EP / D

SAQ Profiles

Mobile commerce

100%

Tokenization Coverage

Governance Snapshot

PCI-M • live APK index

Live

Category coverage

Req 3

78%

Protect Stored CHD

Req 4

88%

Encrypt CHD Transmission

Req 6

65%

Secure Development

Req 8

70%

Access Control & Authentication

Req 10

60%

Logging & Monitoring

Overview

Security Goals

Why governance, AppSec and audit teams adopt this framework.

Cardholder Data Protection

Encrypt PANs at rest and in transit.

Tokenization

Reduce mobile PCI scope through tokens.

Secure Transmission

Strong TLS for all card data flows.

Secure Development

SDL for mobile payment features.

Control Domains

Framework Control Domains

Per-domain coverage, common failures and APK evidence — expand each for detail.

5 control domains · 72% avg coverage

Protect Stored CHD

Req 3

Cardholder data should not be stored on the device; if cached, must be encrypted with hardware-backed keys.

Coverage78%

Checks

✓No PAN at rest
✓Tokenization in use
✓Hardware-backed key storage

Common Failures

✗PAN cached in plaintext
✗Last 4 + BIN exposed in logs

APK Finding Examples

PAN regex matched in heap dump
Token + PAN both stored

Recommended SDKs

Visa Token ServiceMastercard MDESAndroid Keystore

View Remediation →

Encrypt CHD Transmission

Req 4

All cardholder data transmission must use strong cryptography over secure channels.

Coverage88%

Checks

✓TLS 1.2+ only
✓Certificate pinning
✓No cleartext

Common Failures

✗TLS 1.0 fallback
✗No pinning on payment API

APK Finding Examples

Pinning missing
Cleartext fallback

Recommended SDKs

OkHttp pinningTrustKit

View Remediation →

Secure Development

Req 6

Mobile payment SDL with vulnerability management and secure coding.

Coverage65%

Checks

✓SAST / SCA in pipeline
✓Threat modelling
✓Vulnerability remediation SLAs

Common Failures

✗Outdated dependencies
✗No code review for payment flows

APK Finding Examples

Vulnerable SDK in payment path

Recommended SDKs

SnykVeracodeCheckmarx

View Remediation →

Access Control & Authentication

Req 8

Strong authentication including MFA for cardholder data access.

Coverage70%

Checks

✓MFA for sensitive actions
✓Strong password policy
✓Session timeout

Common Failures

✗PIN-only on high value
✗Long-lived sessions

APK Finding Examples

No MFA on payment screen

Recommended SDKs

FIDO2OktaAuth0

View Remediation →

Logging & Monitoring

Req 10

Audit logs for all access to cardholder data and security events.

Coverage60%

Checks

✓Server-side audit logs
✓Mobile telemetry to SIEM
✓Tamper-evident logs

Common Failures

✗No mobile telemetry
✗Logs include PAN

APK Finding Examples

PAN in client logs

Recommended SDKs

DatadogSplunkElastic

View Remediation →

Banking Implications

Why PCI DSS Mobile matters for Mobile Banking

Recommended posture by app type and the regulators that reference this framework.

critical risk

Mobile Wallets

Reduce PCI scope using tokens.

Recommended

Tokenization + SAQ A-EP

critical risk

Card-on-file Payments

Direct CHD handling — full scope.

Recommended

Full PCI DSS

critical risk

Mobile POS (mPOS)

Use PCI MPoC + RASP.

Recommended

PCI MPoC

medium risk

Banking Apps (no CHD)

If CHD never touches app, scope may be limited.

Recommended

PCI DSS scoping review

Regulator Mapping

Where PCI DSS Mobile is referenced

RequiredRecommendedReferencedInformational

UAE CB

referenced

GCC

SAMA

referenced

GCC

MAS TRM

recommended

APAC

RBI

referenced

APAC

APRA CPS 234

referenced

APAC

FFIEC

referenced

Americas

PSD2 / EBA

recommended

DORA

recommended

Cross Mapping

Framework Coverage Matrix

How this framework maps across MASVS, OWASP Mobile, PCI DSS, PSD2, DORA and central-bank guidance.

CoveredPartialNot coveredN/A

Control	MASVS	OWASP Mobile	PCI DSS Mobile	PSD2	DORA	UAE CB
PAN Protection (R3)	●	◐	●	◐	●	●
Encrypted Transmission (R4)	●	●	●	●	●	●
SDL (R6)	◐	◐	●	◐	●	●
MFA (R8)	●	●	●	●	●	●
Audit Logs (R10)	◐	○	●	●	●	●

Live APK Governance

How MobAIsec evaluates PCI DSS Mobile

Sample governance report from a recent assessment — coverage, gaps and top violations.

Live preview

Critical gaps2

High gaps4

Medium gaps6

Coverage heatmap

78%

88%

65%

70%

R10

60%

Top Violations

Run on your APK →

PAN matched in local cache
Req 3
critical
No MFA on high-value payment
Req 8
critical
Pinning missing on payment API
Req 4
high
Vulnerable payment SDK
Req 6
high

Upload your APK to receive a PCI DSS Mobile assessment

Get coverage score, missing controls, severity-weighted gaps and a board-ready PDF.

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Threat Intelligence

Threats this framework defends against

Curated mobile attack patterns aligned to the controls above.

All threat intel →

Threat

Root / Jailbreak detection

Prevent rooted-device fraud and runtime privilege abuse.

Read intel →

Threat

SSL pinning bypass

Detect and resist Frida / proxy interception of TLS.

Read intel →

Threat

Overlay attacks

Block credential and OTP theft from malicious overlays.

Read intel →

Threat

Runtime tampering

Detect APK repackaging, dynamic patching and hooking.

Read intel →

Threat

Frida detection

Prevent instrumentation-based runtime manipulation.

Read intel →

Country Mandates

Mandates using PCI DSS Mobile

Country regulators that reference this framework — usage confidence and mapped control count.

Browse all jurisdictions →

UAE

CBUAE

38 controls

Usage confidence92%

View country requirements →

Singapore

MAS

42 controls

Usage confidence96%

View country requirements →

India

RBI

34 controls

Usage confidence88%

View country requirements →

European Union

EBA / PSD2

46 controls

Usage confidence94%

View country requirements →

United Kingdom

FCA / PRA

36 controls

Usage confidence89%

View country requirements →

Saudi Arabia

SAMA

32 controls

Usage confidence86%

View country requirements →

Trust & Adoption

Used across banking security programs

Mobile banking security teams use this framework to establish secure release gates and runtime baselines.

Acquiring banks

Use PCI DSS Mobile as the canonical baseline for merchant apps.

Card schemes

Visa / Mastercard reference PCI DSS Mobile in mobile acceptance programs.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

For BFSI CISOs, AppSec, audit and governance teams.

Does PCI DSS apply to my mobile banking app?

It applies whenever the app processes, stores, or transmits cardholder data. Tokenized wallets can substantially reduce scope but still require encrypted transmission and secure development.

How does tokenization reduce PCI scope?

Tokens substitute the PAN with a non-sensitive identifier. If the device never sees the PAN, the mobile app falls outside CDE scope for most requirements.

Does PCI DSS require mobile RASP?

PCI DSS itself does not prescribe RASP. However, BFSI buyers and acquiring banks increasingly require RASP for high-risk mobile payment apps.

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✓Framework coverage score
✓Missing controls list
✓Fraud readiness signal
✓Executive PDF report
✓Banking mandate mapping
✓Remediation guidance

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