Overview of the CPSA Physical New Exam
CPSA Physical New candidates, primarily security auditors and infrastructure assessment professionals, must demonstrate granular proficiency in evaluating physical security controls mandated by the PCI DSS framework. The examination necessitates deep technical mastery of biometric authentication systems, closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance configurations, and restricted access protocols involving electronic locks and badge reader integration. Practitioners evaluate environmental monitoring, data center hardware shielding, and the logical segmentation of physical entry points. Mastery requires precise application of threat modeling against unauthorized site access, tamper-evident hardware maintenance, and the systematic verification of secure cabling, equipment labeling, and site-wide physical vulnerability assessment methodologies within high-security payment processing environments.