What It Is

The NIS2 Directive, officially Directive (EU) 2022/2555, is an EU regulation replacing the 2016 NIS Directive to establish a high common level of cybersecurity across member states. It targets essential and important entities in expanded sectors like energy, transport, and digital services, using a proactive, risk-based approach emphasizing resilience, continuous assurance, and supply chain security.

Key Components

NIS2 rests on four pillars: risk management, business continuity, incident reporting, and corporate accountability. Core requirements include ongoing risk assessments, dynamic asset inventories, supply chain oversight, access controls, encryption, and staff training. Incident reporting mandates a 24-hour early warning, 72-hour detailed notification, and one-month final report. Compliance features no certification but enables regulatory spot checks and real-time evidence demands.

Why Organizations Use It

NIS2 ensures legal compliance amid fines up to 2% of global turnover, mitigates cyber threats in interconnected sectors, and enhances operational resilience. It builds customer trust, supports business continuity, and drives strategic cyber maturity, turning compliance into a competitive advantage.

Implementation Overview

Applicable to medium/large EU entities in critical sectors, implementation involves risk registers, incident plans, governance with cybersecurity officers, and supplier audits. Member states transposed by October 2024; approach shifts from static to continuous, leveraging frameworks like ISO 27001.

What It Is

The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a global industry standard managed by the PCI Security Standards Council. It mandates technical and operational controls to protect cardholder data (CHD) and sensitive authentication data (SAD) during storage, processing, and transmission. Structured as 12 requirements under 6 control objectives, it uses a prescriptive, control-based approach enforced contractually by payment brands.

Key Components

• 12 Requirements span secure networks, data protection, vulnerability management, access controls, monitoring, and policies, with over 300 sub-requirements.
• 6 Control Objectives ensure comprehensive security baseline.
• Tiered compliance: 4 merchant levels and 2 service provider levels by transaction volume.
• Validation via ROC, SAQ, and quarterly ASV scans.

Why Organizations Use It

• Contractual mandate avoids fines, card processing bans, and breach costs ($37/record average).
• Reduces fraud, enhances trust, supports GDPR compliance.
• Builds reputation and competitive edge in payments.

Implementation Overview

• Scope CDE, gap analysis, implement controls, audit/scan validation.
• Applies globally to all card-handling entities; ongoing maintenance essential (47.5% fail rate).

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