Security | Threat Detection | Cyberattacks | DevSecOps | Compliance

Data breaches, cyberattacks and misuse of personal information are severe threats challenging the privacy of customer’s data, they can not only damage a company’s reputation but can also lead to heavy fines if compromised. To overcome these challenges, data protection laws are established. Data protection laws safeguard personal information and establish important guidelines on collection, storage, processing, sharing and disposal of personal data.

Ralph Waldo Emerson, the renowned American writer, lecturer and philosopher, is often credited with the phrase “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.” Legal, Compliance, Risk and Security professionals would be wise to consider Emerson’s wise words and philosophy. The path to optimal compliance outcomes and practices is long and full of twists and turns – with new and increasingly complex rules, regulations and legal regimes.

A zero-day flaw in MOVEit software exposed the data of 66.4 million individuals, revealing businesses are increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks. Applications, which manage sensitive data, are prime targets for these threats. Compliance regulations recognize the risks and establish guidelines aimed at ensuring applications meet data protection, privacy, and overall security. PCI DSS v4.0 for example introduces 64 new requirements including strict security measures to protect public-facing applications.

A Data Protection Officer (DPO) can be called as an ally for organizations that deals with large amount of Privacy related data in its core operation. They are appointed based on article 37 of GDPR, and help organizations stay compliant with data protection laws by overseeing data security policies, monitoring internal compliance, and providing expert advice for staffs managing the potential data privacy risks.

Imagine compliance is like a driving application. You know your location and you plug in the destination address, then it shows you the route’s overview. If you want a more specific map, you can zoom in a bit and get more details. Similarly, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) and it’s most recent revision provide the overview roadmap for your compliance journey.

ISO 27001 is the international standard for information security and protection. It’s roughly equivalent to similar infosec frameworks in the United States, like FedRAMP and CMMC, but the international development, maintenance, and scope of the ISO framework makes it much more commonly seen outside of US Government contracting. In the US, it’s clear that a security framework mandated by the government is required when working as a contractor for the government. What about ISO 27001?