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Governance, Risk, Audit & Privacy · Intermediate

Qualified Security Assessor (QSA)

Assessor company or employee certified by the PCI SSC to perform PCI DSS assessments.

Definition

QSAs perform onsite assessments and complete Reports on Compliance for entities that require them, such as Level 1 merchants and service providers. Internal Security Assessors (ISAs) are employees trained to perform internal assessments. QSAs validate compensating and customized controls.

Example

A Level 1 merchant hires a QSA firm to complete its annual ROC.

Exam tip

Level 1 merchants (over 6 million Visa transactions) generally need a QSA-led ROC.

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