PCI DSS Vulnerability Scanning Requirements

If you’re building payment business ideas like an online store, a SaaS app with subscriptions, or a booking site that takes card payments, you’re signing up for security rules that don’t care how small your team is. One missed patch can turn into a breach, chargebacks, and a long talk with your bank.

That’s why PCI DSS vulnerability scanning matters. Think of it like a smoke alarm for your systems, it won’t stop a fire, but it helps you spot danger early enough to act.

This guide breaks down what PCI DSS 4.0 requires for vulnerability scanning, how often scans must run, what “authenticated” scanning changes, and what evidence you should keep so compliance doesn’t become a last-minute scramble.

What PCI DSS vulnerability scanning is (and what it isn’t)

A vulnerability scan is an automated check of systems for known weaknesses, missing patches, risky settings, and exposed services. PCI scanning is not the same thing as penetration testing.

• Vulnerability scanning: automated, repeatable, meant to run often.
• Penetration testing: deeper, manual validation, meant to prove what’s exploitable.

PCI DSS expects both in a security program, but the scanning requirements live under Requirement 11.3 in PCI DSS 4.0.

PCI DSS 4.0 scanning requirements, the baseline you can’t skip

At a practical level, PCI DSS expects you to run scans often, run them in the right places, and fix what you find.

Here’s the baseline most small businesses should plan around:

• Frequency: at least quarterly (every 90 days).
• Also required after significant changes (more on what that means below).
• Scope: systems in your cardholder data environment (CDE) plus connected systems that can impact security.
• Remediation: fix high-risk findings and re-scan until you pass.

For a plain-language overview of common PCI vulnerability scan expectations, this breakdown is helpful: PCI vulnerability scan requirements.

External vulnerability scans (internet-facing) and the ASV requirement

External scans cover systems reachable from the public internet, such as your payment page, public web servers, VPN concentrators, and exposed admin portals.

Key points that trip up founders and lean IT teams:

Approved Scanning Vendor (ASV): PCI requires external scans to be run by an ASV, not just any scanner. The ASV scans you from the outside, like an attacker would.

Quarterly plus after change: if you release a new checkout flow, change hosting, add a WAF, or move domains, plan for another scan.

Pass criteria and re-scans: if critical issues show up, you remediate, then re-scan until the ASV report shows a pass.

If you want a simple walkthrough of how the process usually works end-to-end, this overview is a solid primer: PCI Vulnerability Scan 101.

Internal vulnerability scans, and why authenticated scanning is now a big deal

Internal scans look at assets behind your firewall, such as app servers, databases, and employee workstations that can touch the CDE.

PCI DSS 4.0 added a sharper expectation here: authenticated vulnerability scanning for internal scans (Requirement 11.3.1.2). Authenticated means the scanner logs in using credentials (often read-only or least-privilege) so it can check patch levels, local configs, and installed software more accurately.

Why this matters in real life:

• Unauthenticated scans can miss missing patches because they can’t “see” the OS version properly.
• You’ll get fewer false positives because the scanner can confirm what’s installed.
• You can catch weak settings that are invisible from the network edge.

Two useful explainers on how authenticated scanning fits PCI DSS 4.0 are:

• Explanation of new authenticated scanning PCI DSS Requirement 11.3.1.2
• PCI DSS v4.0: Authenticated Vulnerability Scans

Scope: what you must scan (CDE, connected systems, and segmentation)

Scope is where teams lose time and fail audits. PCI isn’t only about the server that stores card data (and many businesses shouldn’t store it at all). It’s about every system that can affect the security of card data.

For scanning, treat these as common in-scope categories:

CDE systems: payment apps, databases, checkout servers, virtual desktops used for refunds, and anything that processes or transmits cardholder data.

Connected systems: jump boxes, admin workstations, logging servers, identity systems, or monitoring tools that can access the CDE.

Segmentation controls: if you rely on network segmentation to reduce scope, you still need to prove it works. Scanning helps support that story, but it doesn’t replace good diagrams and access rules.

A quick gut check: if compromising System A helps an attacker reach your payment systems, scan System A.

What counts as a “significant change” (so you know when to re-scan)

The phrase sounds vague until you map it to how startups ship.

Re-scan after changes like:

• Launching a new payment page, API endpoint, or mobile build tied to payments
• Migrating infrastructure (new cloud account, new VPC/VNet, new Kubernetes cluster)
• Major OS or database upgrades
• Firewall, WAF, or reverse proxy rule changes
• New remote access methods (VPN, SSO changes, new admin portal)
• Adding a third-party script on checkout pages

A simple rule: if the change could add a new path to the CDE, schedule scans before you call the release “done.”

Passing scans, fixing findings, and keeping audit-ready evidence

PCI scanning is not “run a tool, file a PDF.” You need a repeatable loop.

A clean workflow looks like this:

1) Run the scan: external via ASV, internal with authenticated coverage.

2) Triage findings: focus on high-risk issues first, but don’t ignore “medium” findings that sit on critical systems.

3) Remediate: patch, remove vulnerable services, fix configs, or isolate assets.

4) Re-scan: validate that fixes really worked.

5) Save proof: keep reports and evidence where you can find them fast.

Evidence most assessors expect to see includes scan reports, dates, scope notes (what IPs and hosts were included), remediation tickets, change records, and final passing results.

Tooling choices: what to look for (without overbuying)

You don’t need a huge security stack to meet scanning requirements, but you do need consistency.

When evaluating tools and vendors, look for:

• ASV coverage for external scanning (this is non-negotiable for PCI external scans)
• Authenticated scanning support for internal systems
• Asset discovery so new hosts don’t slip through
• Clean reporting and exports (you’ll use them in audits)
• Credential handling that fits your security model (vaulting, rotation, least privilege)

If you want broader context on how vulnerability management ties into PCI DSS 4.0, this report is worth skimming: Tenable Cyber Exposure Study, PCI DSS v4.0 (PDF).

Quick comparison: the scanning types PCI teams mix up

Scan type	Where it runs	Typical purpose	Common owner
External ASV scan	From outside your network	Validate internet-facing exposure	Security, IT, compliance
Internal authenticated scan	Inside your network with credentials	Accurate patch and config visibility	IT, security
Internal unauthenticated scan	Inside your network without credentials	Discovery and basic exposure checks	IT, security
Web app testing (separate from PCI ASV)	App layer (forms, auth, sessions)	Find app-specific flaws	AppSec, dev team

A practical 30-day plan for small teams

If you’re starting from scratch, don’t try to boil the ocean. Do this instead:

Week 1: Define scope, list CDE assets, confirm what’s internet-facing.
Week 2: Choose an ASV for external scans, set scan windows, run the first scan.
Week 3: Set up internal authenticated scanning (service accounts, least privilege, safe credential storage).
Week 4: Fix top findings, re-scan to validate, then document the cycle (who runs scans, where reports live, how re-scans are triggered after changes).

AI image prompts (ready for your media workflow)

• Hero image prompt: “A clean, branded illustration of a small business payment system with a shield icon, a scanner beam checking servers, and a simple dashboard UI, modern flat style, white background, brand colors blue and charcoal, no text.”
• Comparison graphic prompt: “A simple two-column graphic labeled External ASV Scan vs Internal Authenticated Scan, icons for globe and office network, minimal style, brand colors, no logos, no text-heavy content.”
• Workflow illustration prompt: “A 5-step loop diagram: Scan, Triage, Fix, Re-scan, Save Evidence, clean vector style, minimal, brand colors, no gradients.”

Conclusion

PCI DSS vulnerability scanning is a routine, not a one-time task. Run scans quarterly and after meaningful changes, use ASVs for external scans, and treat authenticated internal scanning as the new normal for accurate results.

If your payment business ideas depend on trust, scanning is part of the cost of doing business, like accounting and backups. Set the cadence now, store the proof, and your next audit becomes a paperwork exercise instead of a fire drill. PCI DSS vulnerability scanning done consistently is one of the simplest ways to reduce risk without slowing your team down.