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Purging Files Required for PCI Compliance

There are several Windows settings that must be configured to prevent the system from inadvertently capturing credit card (PAN) information. The main objective is to reduce the threat of the possibility of maleware stealing PAN information in virtual memory. This is done by clearing the system pagefile. sys at shutdown, disabling System Management of PageFile.sys, and disabling system restore. These settings only need be configured on the computer hosting RMCCWin.

Clearing the System Pagefile.sys on Shutdown

Windows has the ability to clear the Pagefile.sys upon system shutdown. Doing so will purge all temporary data from the pagefile.sys (temporary data may include system and application passwords, cardholder data (PAN/Track), etc.).

NOTE: Enabling this feature may increase windows shutdown time.

1. Type "Regedit" in the Windows 8 "search" option and clcik Apps. Click on the Regedit icon on the screen

   

2. On the apps list, right click on regedit.exe and click "Run as Administrator" n the bottom of the screen

3. Navigate to HKEY_Local_Machine\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management. Double click "ClearPafeFileAtShutdown".

4. Change Value data from 0 to 1

5. Click OK and close Regedit

NOTE: If the value does not exist, right click on the Memory Management folder, select "New" on the drop down menu select "DWORD (32-bit or 64 bit depending on OS) Value" and add the following:

• Value Name: ClearPageFileAtShutdown

• Value Type: REG_DWORD

• Value: 1

Disabling System Management of PageFile.sys

You will want to disable memory page swapping to the hard drive. The following steps will show you how to tweak virtual memory settings in Windows by disabling (pagefile.sys).

1. Open Control Panel> Select "System"

2. Select "System Protection"

   

3. Select the"Advanced" tab and click "Settings" under Performance section

4. Click the "Advanced"tab in the Performance Options window and click "Change" under Virtual Memory

5. In the Virtual Memory window:

   • Uncheck "Automatically manage page file size for all drives"

   • Select "Custom Size"

   • Enter the following for the size selections:

     • Initial Size - as a good rule of thumb, the size should be equivalent to the amount of memory in the system.

     • Maximum Size - as a good rule of thumb, the size should be equivalent to 2x the amount of memory in the system.

   • Click "Set"

6. Return to default windows screen by clicking "OK" three times

7. Reboot the computer

Note: you may want to increase the size of your RAM to counter the effects of disabling pagefile.sys

Disabling System Restore

The following steps describe how to disable system restore points. This is critical as a system restore point may inadvertently capture cardholder data if it is not disabled and compromise your PCI DSS compliance.

1. Open Control Panel> Select "System"

2. Select "System Protection" .

3. Click "Configure" under the System Protection tab.

4. Click to enable "Turn off system protection", click "Apply", and then click "OK" to close System Protection window.

5. Click "OK" to close System Proprieties window.

6. Reboot computer.

Next Topic "Windows Startup Settings"