10.7.2 Detect and alert on critical security control failures
When a critical security control system fails, the failure must be detected, alerted and addressed promptly, covering at least failures of: IDS/IPS; network security controls; anti-malware; change-detection tools; logical access controls; physical access controls; segmentation controls where used; audit logging mechanisms; mechanisms for reviewing audit logs; and any automated security testing tools in use. Applies to all entities, service providers included. Applicability: takes the place of 10.7.1 from 31 March 2025 and adds two control systems that 10.7.1 did not list (the mechanisms for reviewing audit logs and automated security testing tools). Objective under the customized approach: any failure of a critical security control system is spotted and dealt with promptly. Future-dated: treated as a best practice up to 31 March 2025 and mandatory since then.
Source: PCI DSS v4.0.1, 10.7.2. The statement above is our statement of the clause, read from the published text and cited so you can check it against the official text, not the instrument verbatim. Open PCI DSS v4.0.1 in the compliance library.
Version 4.0.1 is the active version; 4.0 has been retired. Appendix A1 applies only to multi-tenant service providers, A2 only to card-present POS POI terminals that still use SSL or early TLS, and A3 only when a payment brand or acquirer requires it. Which requirements apply to you follows your validation type.
These are the artefacts auditors commonly ask for on this requirement, our guidance rather than text from the standard. Your assessor decides what is sufficient in your context, and asks for samples across the period when a report covers one.
system holds itEvidence a system already holds
- Health check and heartbeat monitoring configuration, including for the SIEM and log review tooling · SIEM / log platform
- Sample alerts showing detection of a control failure (for example firewall offline, agent stopped) · SIEM / log platform
periodic reviewEvidence produced at each review
- Interview records with the team receiving failure alerts · SIEM / log platform
governing documentDocuments that govern the control
- Process document covering failure detection for all ten listed control systems · Policy repository / GRC workspace
- Coverage matrix mapping each critical control system to its failure alert · Policy repository / GRC workspace
First move
Common gaps auditors find
- Failure of the SIEM or log review tooling itself is not monitored
- Automated security testing tools in use but their failures go unnoticed
- Alerts go to a mailbox no one watches outside business hours
Do this for your whole sheet
Paste the rows you run your controls from and get this mapping for every control at once, with the periodic-review ones flagged and a first move per row. No account for the first run.
Build my evidence sheet10.7.1 Service providers detect critical control failures (superseded) · 10.7.3 Respond promptly to critical security control failures