PCI SSF readiness and gap assessment for payment software.
Customers, acquirers, and card brands are asking whether your payment software meets the PCI Software Security Framework. This readiness and gap assessment confirms which standard actually applies to your product, where the control and evidence gaps are, and what has to change before a qualified assessor is engaged.
- An applicability and scope memo covering Secure Software Standard v2.0 and Secure SLC.
- A control and evidence gap register mapped to the applicable standard.
- A prioritized remediation roadmap and an organized scope and evidence package for handoff to a qualified SSF assessor.
Prefer to talk first? Book a readiness call.
Who this is for
- Payment software vendors moving from legacy PA-DSS to the Software Security Framework.
- SaaS payment platforms whose product handles or influences account data.
- Product and security engineering teams preparing a first SSF validation.
- Vendors whose customers require a listed payment software product.
- Teams unsure whether Secure Software, Secure SLC, or neither applies to them.
- Software groups formalizing a secure development lifecycle under external scrutiny.
What you receive
- Applicability and scope memo
- A written position on which SSF program applies. The Secure Software Standard evaluates a specific software product; Secure SLC evaluates the vendor's development lifecycle. They are separate standards with separate programs and listings, and applicability must be confirmed before any work begins.
- Architecture and sensitive-asset review
- Product architecture, data flows, and the sensitive assets the software stores, processes, or protects, documented the way an assessor will expect.
- Control and evidence gap register
- Findings mapped to Secure Software Standard v2.0 objectives or Secure SLC requirements, with the evidence each control needs.
- Secure development lifecycle review
- Threat modeling, code review, dependency and vulnerability management, change control, and release integrity assessed against Secure SLC expectations.
- Technical testing and evidence plan
- Identify the testing and evidence required for readiness. When included in scope, ControlSolid can perform supporting application, API, and security control testing, document the results for assessor review, and identify any testing that must be performed or independently validated by a qualified SSF assessor.
- Remediation roadmap and assessor handoff
- Sequenced remediation by risk and engineering effort, plus an organized scope and evidence package for handoff to a qualified SSF assessor.
How the engagement runs
- 01Confirm applicability
Working sessions on the product, its market, and its assets to confirm whether Secure Software, Secure SLC, both, or neither applies.
- 02Assess
Architecture, control, lifecycle, and evidence review against the applicable standard.
- 03Plan and hand off
Prioritized remediation, an evidence plan, and coordination with a qualified assessor company when you are ready.
Who you work with
Senior-led payment software security work informed by prior QSA and principal-level payment-security consulting experience. Every engagement is delivered by a principal consultant, not staffed out to junior reviewers.
- Prior principal-level payment-security consulting at Trustwave.
- Prior application-security work at Amazon Web Services.
- Secure Software Standard v2.0 and Secure SLC treated as distinct programs, not one label.
- Scope and applicability resolved before remediation spend.
ControlSolid provides readiness, gap assessment, remediation support, and evidence preparation. ControlSolid does not perform formal PCI validation and does not list software or vendors. Formal Secure Software and Secure SLC assessments are performed by a PCI SSC-qualified SSF Assessor Company. We can coordinate with qualified partners while preserving the independence those assessments require. Prior QSA experience refers to previous professional roles and does not represent currently active assessor credentials.
Common questions
What is the difference between Secure Software and Secure SLC?
They are two separate standards under the PCI Software Security Framework. The Secure Software Standard evaluates a specific software product against security objectives. Secure SLC evaluates the vendor's software development lifecycle. Each has its own program, assessment, and listing, and a vendor may need one, both, or neither.
Does PCI SSF apply to our product?
That is the first question the engagement answers. Applicability depends on the software's function, the assets it handles, and what your customers or acquirers require. We put the position in writing before any assessment work is planned.
Can ControlSolid validate or list our software?
No. Formal Secure Software and Secure SLC assessments and listings are performed by PCI SSC-qualified SSF Assessor Companies. We prepare scope, controls, and evidence, and can coordinate a handoff to a qualified partner while preserving assessor independence.
We were PA-DSS validated. What changes?
PA-DSS has been retired and its listings expired. The Software Security Framework replaced it with a different structure, so previous PA-DSS evidence rarely maps across directly. Readiness work identifies what carries over and what must be rebuilt.
How long does readiness take?
Most engagements run a few weeks, driven by product complexity, the maturity of your development lifecycle, and how much evidence already exists.
Start with a PCI SSF readiness and gap assessment.
Send the details and we'll reply within one business day, or book a readiness call.