What is Cyber Security Compliance?
Cyber security compliance refers to an organisation’s adherence to laws, regulations, and standards to protect its digital information and systems from cyber threats. Cyber security compliance is attained by implementing security controls, policies, and other measures to ensure the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of data.
While certain government organisations and industries may have specific standards that organisations must comply with, there are also universal standards and frameworks that organisations of all sizes can use to bolster their information security.
Benefits of Cyber Security Compliance
No matter what your reason for wanting to achieve cyber security compliance may be, organisations that do comply with robust cyber security standards realise a wide range of benefits. Some of these benefits include:
- Risk Reduction – Compliance minimises the likelihood of data breaches and cyber attacks by implementing robust security measures.
- Legal Protection – Organisations that comply with legal and industry-recognised standards can often avoid legal penalties and fines when breaches occur.
- Reputational Enhancement – Compliant organisations can build trust with customers, partners, and stakeholders, enhancing their overall reputation.
- Operational Continuity – Compliance ensures business operations remain uninterrupted by preventing and effectively responding to cyber threat events and incidences.
- Competitive Advantage – Organisations that demonstrate a commitment to security can differentiate themselves in the market and attract more customers.
Types of Data Subject to Cyber Security Compliance
When data breaches do occur, there is no shortage of sensitive data that can be compromised. As such, many cyber security laws and compliance standards have been developed to protect certain types of sensitive data. This can include:
Personally Identifiable Information (PII)
PII refers to any data that can be used to identify a specific individual, either on its own or when combined with other information. PII might include details like names, social security numbers, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and biometric data. Loss of PII can lead to identity theft, fraud, and privacy violations.
Protected Health Information (PHI)
PHI refers to any information in a medical record or designated for use in the healthcare process that can be used to identify an individual and that was created, used, or disclosed in the course of providing a healthcare service. PHI might include demographic data, medical histories, test results, insurance information, and other data collected by a healthcare provider.
Financial Information
Financial information refers to data surrounding an individual’s or organisation’s finances, such as credit card numbers, CVVs, bank account information, and credit ratings.
Other Sensitive Data
Any sensitive information that is confidential, such as an email address, IP address, a person’s race or religion, and marital status.
How to Get Started with Cyber Security Compliance
Common cyber security frameworks, such as ISO 27001 and NIST Cyber Security Framework, include processes for assessing and bolstering your current information security posture. With them in mind, here are some steps organisations can take to begin their compliance journey.
1. Identify their data type and subsequent requirements
Organisations first need to understand which type of data they’re processing and storing and whether or not any legal regulations exist to protect such data.
2. Build a compliance team
When implementing a robust compliance program, it is essential to have a compliance team in place, with departments across the organisation contributing.
3. Perform risk and vulnerability analysis
This step is integral to comply with pretty much every significant cyber security compliance requirement. It is crucial to identifying security issues within an organisation as well as existing security controls.
4. Develop controls to mitigate risks
The next step is to develop the necessary controls to eliminate existing security risks and mitigate damage during future threat events. Controls include policies and processes for preventing, detecting, and eliminating threats.
5. Monitor and respond to threats
Organisations, finally, must continuously monitor their compliance program to ensure it meets developing rules and regulations. This also helps to ensure ongoing threat mitigation by updating policies and procedures to meet an evolving threat landscape.
Types of Cyber Security Compliance Frameworks
As mentioned, there are a number of industry-specific and agnostic cyber security compliance frameworks. Some of the most notable include:
- Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
- General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
- Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC)
Unsure about which compliance framework is right for your organisation? Get in touch with us today to learn more about how you can maintain cyber security compliance.