Here we will discuss What is the difference between PCI DSS, HIPAA & CJIS. In today’s world of compliance, especially when discussing data security, the entire observation process can be a pain, irrespective of which industry we’re talking about. This is even further aggravated when you realize that compliance requirements are not limited to just internal operations. To put it simply, if the third-party vendors aren’t compliant, remember that you aren’t either. To lighten the burden, you need proper guidance, especially in the financial, health care, and government-related industries.
And various compliance standards may overlap in their features’ common requirements, and even more. Rather than think of this as a hurdle or hindrance to your compliance commitments, think of such overlaps as the means to implement different compliance standards more easily and quickly. Naturally, instead of going on a head-to-head analysis of the difference between these compliance standards of HIPAA, PCI DSS, and CJIS, we should analyze each one’s requisites concerning compliance. This will let you have the upper hand in understanding each of these standards and how you may benefit from them, especially when it comes to your third-party vendors and their compliance standards.
HIPAA compliance
In a massive network, including numerous third-party vendors, compound compliance can seem complicated. Here are a few tips to help you maintain your HIPAA compliance standards:
- Ensure that your subcontractors sign their respective BAA (business associate agreement). Since subcontractors are business associates of your direct business associates, it can be a confusing chain. To keep it straightforward, just have one policy in place: every individual entity that touches the PHI/ePHI datasets and information must sign their respective BAA.
- Never forget that BAA requisites aren’t just limited to only those who directly access PHI/ePHI. Even vendors who simply just need PHI/ePHI to pass through their software must mandatorily be required by you to sign a BAA. Make it a hard and fast rule when sure and everyone associated with you understands that HIPAA compliance applies to everyone who even touches PHI/ePHI.
- Never assume that assigned BAA automatically ensures compliance of any sort. Ensure to vet your vendors’ security measures before onboarding onto your system. Also, carry out audits periodically to ensure that they are following the strictest compliance standards possible.
PCI DSS compliance
At the center of PCI DSS compliance are 12 security controls. However, so long as the following controls are strictly adhered to, you can be assured that your third-party vendors are following compliance standards:
- Make sure to maintain a policy that quickly addresses information security. This may include third-party access management, strong cryptography standards, comprehensive auditing, and an extremely hardened firewall.
- Ensure to track and monitor every axis to cardholder data and network resources. Ensure that you follow the capability to perform detailed audits of every user session that requires third-party remote access.
- Always assign a unique ID for each person who needs computer access within your organization. Ensure customized credentials for every user you will be able to track and restrict individual user activity.
- Assign the least privilege so that cardholder data’s access is restricted to a limited degree. It is essential and crucial that traffic two and from CDE is limited, especially when there is a requirement to establish connections from only authenticated and authorized users.
- Always invest in software that will allow you to customize access privileges. Each user must only be able to access the relevant essential data required to complete the task assigned to them.
- Never use default system passwords or other security parameters that your vendor supplies.
- Make sure that your organization maintains an authoritarian firewall system. Also, ensure that your company restricts access to your cardholder data environment (CDE). Only multifactor authenticated users and authorized personnel may be allowed entry. This will ensure that everyone, including your third-party vendors, will need to have their unique credentials.
CJIS compliance
To ensure being compliant with Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) compliance standards, businesses and government entities need to meet the requirements for these security policy areas:
- CJIS has specific requisites for allowing access to a network via mobile devices.
- Anyone with access to CJI is also required to complete a set of security screenings when they are hired, transferred, terminated, or in case of any other type of third-party or employee lifecycle events.
- Every entity is subject to formal audits by various agencies such as the FBI.
- When you wet third-party vendors before hiring and during ongoing compliance audits, you will be protected from failing any formal audit at all.
- Information systems, services, and applications must be secure. Systems and communications protection and information integrity are essential and core of CJIS compliance.
- All physical media must be kept secure.
- Criteria should be based on network address, time restrictions, location, and also on the job, and each of these components must be well defined to ensure proper and total access control.
- Policies and procedures must be documented for digital and physical media transportation, destruction, access, and storage. Media protection is essential.
CJIS more details
- Configuration management is mandatory. Any changes to procedures, hardware, software, architecture, and the information system platform must always be precisely documented and accounted for.
- As with access control, identification and authentication should be enabled to only authorized personnel to access CJI.
- There must be audits for login attempts and attempts to access, destroy, or modify any history or log file. Third-party users should be tracked with equal strictness to ensure accountability as well.
- Breaches and other significant incidents must be reported to the Justice Department under the incident response regulation.
- Anyone who has access to CJI needs to mandatorily complete the required security training within six months from when they have received the CJI.
- Organizations that access the CJI must have proper information exchange agreements in place.
Conclusion: difference between PCI DSS HIPAA & CJIS
From the above discussion, it is pretty apparent that several rules and protocols of data security compliance can vary a lot depending on the industry. However, whatever your industry may be, vetting the vendors before you bring them on board and investing in software equipped with ideal third-party audits and several other technical controls will help you cover your base and keep it compliant with all the compliance standards and requisites and protocols. Healthcare Electronic Medical Record EMR Platform Application
