In this section of the course,
we are going to discuss Compliance.
The Compliance section of the course
focuses on Domain 1: Governance, Risk, and Compliance,
specifically objective 1.3
which states you must be able to explain
how compliance affects information security strategies.
In today's enterprise landscape,
adhering to industry compliance and standards
is not just about meeting regulatory requirements;
it's also about fostering trust,
ensuring security practices are in place,
and safeguarding sensitive data.
Industry-recognized frameworks provide essential guidelines
for establishing robust security controls,
helping organizations manage risk
effectively across multiple internal
and external environments,
while privacy regulations,
both local and cross-jurisdictional,
add another layer of compliance complexity,
requiring organizations to navigate and align
with diverse legal frameworks.
Finally, regular security reviews
ensure that organizations remain resilient
in the face of evolving threats
and changing regulatory demands.
As we go through this section,
we will cover many topics related to Compliance
including industry standards and industry compliance,
security and reporting frameworks
such as the Systems and Organization Controls or SOC2,
the National Institute of Standards and Technology
Cybersecurity Framework or NIST CSF,
and the Cloud Security Alliance or CSA framework.
We will also discuss privacy regulations, security reviews,
and cross-jurisdictional compliance.
First, we will look at Industry Compliance.
Industry compliance requires that organizations
meet established laws, regulations, guidelines,
and specifications to protect sensitive data,
maintain customer trust,
and avoid regulatory penalties.
Industry compliance includes an awareness
of industry-specific compliance requirements.
For example, government agencies
must comply with data security and privacy regulations
to protect sensitive national and citizen information.
In healthcare, compliance focuses
on safeguarding patient data.
In the financial sector, financial institutions
are required to implement compliance measures
to protect customer financial information
and prevent fraud.
Finally, in the utilities industry,
organizations must ensure the security and resilience
of critical infrastructure,
protecting against disruptions and cyber attacks
that could impact public safety and service continuity.
Then, we will explore industry standards.
Industry standards are established guidelines and practices
that organizations within a specific industry
are expected to follow.
These standards are often developed
by industry bodies or regulatory organizations
and serve as benchmarks for compliance and best practices.
For example, the Payment Card Industry
Data Security Standard or PCI DSS
mandates security measures
for organizations that process credit card transactions
to protect cardholder data.
Additionally, the International Organization
for Standardization or ISO 27000 series framework
is used for managing information security risks
and offers guidelines
for establishing, implementing, maintaining,
and continually improving
an information security management system.
Lastly, the Digital Markets Act,
although primarily focused on regulating digital platforms
to ensure fair competition in the European Union,
intersects with industry standards
like PCI DSS and ISO 27000
by imposing obligations on large digital platforms
to maintain high levels of data protection and security.
After that, we will look at Security Frameworks.
Security frameworks are sets of guidelines,
best practices, and standards
designed to help organizations
manage and reduce cybersecurity risks.
Security frameworks include:
foundational best practices,
which form the core principles
that guide the implementation of security measures;
benchmarks, which are specific measurable standards
derived from foundational best practices;
and the Center for Internet Security or CIS benchmarks,
which offer actionable and detailed guidance
on securing systems and data.
Next, we will explore the systems and organization controls
or SOC2 framework.
The SOC2 framework is an auditing process
that assesses the effectiveness
of an organization's information security controls,
either at a point in time
or over approximately a 6 to 12-month period.
SOC2 focuses on five key trust service principles:
security, availability, processing integrity,
confidentiality, and privacy.
Its reports are crucial
for demonstrating that an organization
is effectively managing and protecting data
according to industry standards.
Following that, we will look at the National Institute
of Standards and Technology Cybersecurity Framework
or NIST CSF.
The NIST Cybersecurity Framework was developed
by the National Institute of Standards and Technology
to help organizations manage and reduce cybersecurity risk.
The framework is designed
to be flexible across various industries,
providing a structured approach
to managing and recovering from cyber events.
The NIST Cybersecurity Framework
organizes cybersecurity activities
into five core functions:
identify, protect, detect,
respond, and recover,
providing a comprehensive approach
to managing and responding to cyber risk.
Then, we will explore the Cloud Security Alliance Framework.
The Cloud Security Alliance or CSA framework
is a set of guidelines and best practices
designed to help organizations
secure cloud computing environments.
It provides a comprehensive approach
to manage and mitigate risks
associated with cloud services,
addressing areas such as data protection,
security management, and compliance.
Within the Cloud Security Alliance framework,
the Cloud Security Alliance
Security Trust Assurance and Risk or STAR program
offers a certification process
that assesses and validates the security practices
of cloud service providers,
ensuring transparency, trust,
and compliance in their cloud environments.
After that, we will look at privacy regulations.
Privacy regulations are designed to protect
individual's personal information and privacy rights
by setting requirements for how organizations
collect, store, use, and share data.
For example, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act
or COPPA focuses on protecting children's data in the US.
The General Data Protection Law or LGPD
sets data protection standards in Brazil.
The California Consumer Privacy Act or CCPA
addresses privacy rights in the state of California
and the General Data Protection Regulation or GDPR
enforces data protection across the European Union.
Organizations must adapt their security strategies
to comply with these diverse regulations,
ensuring robust data protection and privacy measures
tailored to different legal requirements
in different geographical regions.
Then, we will explore Security Reviews.
Security reviews involve dedicated evaluations
of an organization's security policies,
controls, and practices
to ensure they are effective and aligned
with regulatory requirements and best practices.
These reviews can be internal or external.
Internal reviews are conducted locally
and focus on internal processes and practices.
They help identify weaknesses and areas for improvement.
External reviews are conducted by independent third parties
and provide an objective evaluation
of compliance and security effectiveness.
Security review types
include audits, assessments, and certifications.
Audits are formal evaluations
typically conducted externally,
but they may also be conducted by internal security teams.
Assessments, on the other hand,
are internal or external reviews
which identify vulnerabilities, risks,
and gaps in security controls.
Certifications serve as formal validation
that an organization meets
specific security standards or regulations
and are often the result
of successful assessments or audits.
So while assessments help organizations
understand their security posture
and enhance their controls,
certifications offer official recognition
of their adherence to establish standards.
Finally, we will explore Cross-jurisdictional Compliance.
Cross-jurisdictional compliance requirements establish
the standards that ensure an organization's practices
are compliant with all applicable local, national,
and international laws.
Compliance may involve items such as due diligence,
due care, contractual obligations,
and export controls.
Due diligence refer to the proactive investigation
and assessment of compliance risks
before entering into agreements or business activities.
Due care refers to the ongoing responsibility
of an organization
to maintain and manage compliance effectively.
Contractual obligations ensure compliance
with both legal and business standards
which may include provisions
for legal holds and e-discovery.
Legal holds are procedures to preserve relevant data
for potential future legal proceedings.
E-discovery is the process of identifying, collecting,
and analyzing electronic data for legal purposes.
Finally, we have Export Controls
which cover the transfer of sensitive technology
and data across borders.
Export controls often intersect
with due diligence and contractual obligations
by imposing additional compliance requirements
on international transactions.
To finish things off, we'll take a short quiz
to see what you learned during this section of the course.
And we will review each of those quiz questions fully
to ensure you can explain why the right answers were right
and the wrong answers were wrong.
So let's get ready to dive into Compliance
in this section of the course!