PCI DSS 5.2.2: Detecting All Known Malware Types

What this means

Your organization must implement anti-malware software that actively identifies and blocks all known malware variants—including viruses, trojans, worms, ransomware, and spyware. The solution must provide real-time protection and use current threat definitions to detect emerging variants. This extends beyond signature-based detection to include behavioral analysis and heuristic scanning capabilities.

How to comply

1. 1.Deploy enterprise-grade anti-malware solutions across all systems handling cardholder data
2. 2.Ensure automatic daily or more frequent updates of malware definitions and detection signatures
3. 3.Configure real-time scanning of all files, downloads, and system processes
4. 4.Enable behavioral and heuristic analysis to detect zero-day and polymorphic malware
5. 5.Document your anti-malware deployment, version numbers, and update schedules
6. 6.Conduct quarterly vulnerability assessments to validate detection effectiveness
7. 7.Monitor anti-malware alert logs and investigate all detections within 24 hours

Evidence auditors look for

• Anti-malware vendor documentation showing support for all known malware types
• System screenshots displaying real-time protection status and current definition versions
• Update logs confirming automatic signature updates occur daily or more frequently
• Scan reports from the past 90 days showing detection and remediation activities
• Configuration documentation proving behavioral/heuristic scanning is enabled
• Alert logs demonstrating monitoring and investigation of malware detections

Frequently asked questions

GRCWatch automates anti-malware compliance tracking by centralizing definition update logs, scan reports, and detection records in one audit-ready dashboard, eliminating manual log collection across your environment.

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