Regarding shared hosting provider compliance, what is true about the relationship between provider compliance and customer compliance?

Regarding shared hosting provider compliance, what is true about the relationship between provider compliance and customer compliance?

• A. The customer is automatically compliant if the provider is compliant
• B. Provider compliance guarantees customer compliance
• C. Even if the provider meets the requirements, the customer must still validate its own PCI DSS compliance
• D. The provider's compliance applies to data in transit only

Answer: (C)

In PCI DSS, responsibility for compliance sits with the entity that handles the cardholder data, and that remains true in a shared hosting setup. The provider may manage the underlying infrastructure and even offer evidence of their own PCI DSS compliance, but that does not automatically make your environment compliant. You must validate your own portion of the PCI DSS controls—how you store, process, or transmit card data, how your applications are secured, how access is managed, and how data flows are handled. The provider’s compliance can help reduce risk and potentially limit scope, but it doesn’t transfer responsibility or guarantee your own compliance. In short, provider compliance does not guarantee customer compliance; you still need to validate and certify your own environment.

In PCI DSS, responsibility for compliance sits with the entity that handles the cardholder data, and that remains true in a shared hosting setup. The provider may manage the underlying infrastructure and even offer evidence of their own PCI DSS compliance, but that does not automatically make your environment compliant. You must validate your own portion of the PCI DSS controls—how you store, process, or transmit card data, how your applications are secured, how access is managed, and how data flows are handled. The provider’s compliance can help reduce risk and potentially limit scope, but it doesn’t transfer responsibility or guarantee your own compliance. In short, provider compliance does not guarantee customer compliance; you still need to validate and certify your own environment.