11.4.3 External penetration testing annually and after change

External penetration testing must be performed: using the methodology the entity has defined; no less than annually; after every significant upgrade or change to infrastructure or applications; by a qualified tester, whether an internal resource or an external third party; and with organizational independence of the tester (a QSA or ASV is not required). Guidance (good practice): when selecting a tester, entities can weigh specialist penetration testing certifications and prior experience such as years in the field and the type and scope of past engagements. Objective under the customized approach: technical testing following the defined methodology verifies external defenses as often as needed to keep pace with new and evolving attacks and to confirm that significant changes bring in no unknown vulnerabilities.

Source: PCI DSS v4.0.1, 11.4.3. 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.