What It Is

NIS2, officially Directive (EU) 2022/2555, is an EU regulation expanding the original NIS Directive. It establishes a high common level of cybersecurity for critical infrastructure and digital services across member states. Primary scope covers essential and important entities in sectors like energy, transport, health, and digital providers. It adopts a risk-based approach with continuous assurance, shifting from static compliance to proactive resilience.

Key Components

• Four pillars: risk management, incident reporting, business continuity, corporate accountability.
• Strict timelines: 24-hour early warnings, 72-hour notifications, one-month final reports.
• Mandates supply chain security, access controls, encryption, and staff training.
• Built on standards like ISO 27001; no formal certification but national enforcement with spot checks.

Why Organizations Use It

Legal compliance avoids fines up to 2% global turnover. Enhances resilience against threats, builds stakeholder trust, and ensures operational continuity. Provides competitive edge through harmonized EU-wide security.

Implementation Overview

Applies to medium/large entities (>50 employees or €10M turnover) in covered sectors EU-wide. Key steps: risk assessments, incident procedures, governance setup, supplier audits. Transposition by October 2024; expect 12-18 months with ongoing monitoring.

What It Is

NIST SP 800-171 (Protecting Controlled Unclassified Information in Nonfederal Systems and Organizations) is a U.S. framework defining security requirements to safeguard CUI confidentiality in nonfederal systems. It employs a control-based approach tailored from NIST SP 800-53 Moderate and FIPS 200 baselines for contractors and supply chains.

Key Components

• 97 requirements (Rev 3) organized into 17 families (e.g., Access Control, Audit, Supply Chain Risk Management)
• Core artifacts: System Security Plan (SSP), Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M)
• Assessment procedures in SP 800-171A Rev 3 (examine/interview/test)
• Compliance model: self-assessment, third-party audits (e.g., CMMC Level 2)

Why Organizations Use It

• Mandatory via DFARS 252.204-7012 for DoD contractors handling CUI
• Ensures contract eligibility, mitigates breach risks
• Enhances supply chain trust, competitive positioning

Implementation Overview

• Phased: scoping CUI boundaries, gap analysis, controls deployment, evidence building
• Targets federal contractors; scales by size/industry
• Requires audits, continuous monitoring; 6-24 months typical