The National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) on June 03, 2024, issued the notification regarding the Migration of PIN Encryption from Variant to Key Block for RuPay and NFS Network.
The following has been stated namely: -
RuPay and the NFS ATM Network are enhancing security standards by aligning with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS). Specifically, they are migrating from the Variant method to Key Blocks for PIN encryption, as required by PCI PIN Security Requirement 18-3, released in June 2019.
The detailed migration specifications (version 1.0) were released on May 1, 2024. Members are requested to undergo certification with NPCI for RuPay and NFS transactions as follows:
Issuer Certification: Can be done together or separately for RuPay and NFS.
Acquirer Certification: Must be done separately for RuPay and NFS, using terminal devices like POS and ATMs (including Micro ATMs). Once certified, implementation on all deployed devices is required.
The certification process for Issuers and Acquirers should follow the "TR31KeyBlock-key Guide Document" and be completed by December 31, 2024. The Key Block functionality should be enabled on all Issuer and Acquirer host HSMs and devices by June 30, 2025. This transition is crucial for maintaining the security and integrity of transactions on the RuPay and NFS networks.
[Notification No. NPCI/2024-25/RuPay/006]
