Which statement describes the relationship between PA-DSS and PCI DSS?

• A. PA-DSS applies to third-party payment applications
• B. PA-DSS is unrelated to PCI DSS
• C. PA-DSS reduces compliance requirements
• D. PA-DSS is mandatory for all card data environments

Answer: (A)

PA-DSS is a standard designed for third-party payment applications, ensuring the software used to process payments is built securely and won’t introduce risks into a card data environment. This fits with PCI DSS because PCI DSS covers the overall security of the environment that stores, processes, or transmits cardholder data, while PA-DSS focuses on the software itself that runs within that environment. Using PA-DSS–validated applications helps support PCI DSS compliance by reducing the security risks tied to the payment software, but it doesn’t repeal PCI DSS requirements or make compliance optional. It’s specifically about payment applications, not about every environment or system, and it’s not a blanket reduction of compliance efforts.