Issuer PIN Security Guidelines - Visa

• Any cryptographic keys used to generate or protect reference numbers
should be managed in accordance with the key management section .
• The process should not involve issuer personnel handling plaintext PIN
values that can be linked to an identifiable cardholder or their account .
• Receipt of the PIN advice form should be by authorized issuer personnel .
• Residues of PIN mailers should be destroyed as part of operational
procedure .
Cardholder PIN Selection by Internet
PIN selection by internet requires the cardholder to communicate credentials to
the issuer’s PIN notification system via an intermediate internet based PIN advice
function .
• PIN selection by internet should protect the PIN using commensurate
cryptographic protection as when PINs are transmitted during transaction
processing, until it arrives at the cardholder’s computer .
• PIN selection by internet should be accomplished by instructing the
cardholder to enter pre-established credentials: for example a control
number, a chosen PIN and authentication values .
• The control number and authentication values should not disclose the
account number .
• Any cryptographic key used to generate a control number should not be
used for any other purpose and should be managed in accordance with ISO
11568 .
• The control number should be generated and conveyed to the cardholder
in such a way, e .g . by using a PIN mailer, so that no one other than the
cardholder can associate the control number with that cardholder without
detection .
• The system should have no way of associating a control number or the
authentication values with the associated cardholder’s name, telephone
number, address or account number .
• The PIN selection function should exchange only strings of numbers, (a
control number and authentication values) with the issuer PIN notification
system .
• The PIN selection system should re-associate the control number with a
specific account number, validate the cardholder (or the transaction if there
is no mechanism for pre-registration of the cardholder as in an anonymous
gift card) using the authentication values and retrieve the cardholder PIN for
that account number .
• The control number/PIN/authentication values string should not be logged
and should be deleted immediately after use .
2 2 Issuer PIN Security Guidelines
Visa Public © 2010 Visa. All Rights Reserved.