The hard deadline for NIS2 compliance in the EU is rapidly approaching on October 18, 2024. As organizations operating in the EU assess their compliance readiness, here’s a quick overview of the new NIS2 directive, its implications on businesses operating in the EU, the cybersecurity requirements for compliance, and how AppViewX can help ensure compliance by focusing on trusted identities, secure authentication, and strong encryption.
What is the NIS2 Directive?
The NIS2 Directive is a cybersecurity regulation in the European Union (EU) that aims to strengthen network and information security. It seeks to achieve a “high common level of cybersecurity” and increased cyber-resilience across key business sectors, especially critical infrastructures, in the EU. NIS2 is an updated version of the previous Network and Information Security (NIS) Directive adopted in July 2016. It broadens its scope to include more industry sectors based on their importance and imposes more stringent supervisory measures for compliance. While NIS2 was adopted in January 2023, EU Member States must transpose the new directive into national law by October 18, 2024, giving organizations doing business in the EU until that date to comply.
Who Does the NIS2 Directive Apply to?
NIS2 applies to all companies operating in the EU, including public and private entities that fulfill vital functions for the economy and society as a whole. It covers 11 business sectors overall and categorizes them into ‘Essential Entities (EEs)’ and ‘Important Entities (IEs)’. Essential Entities, such as energy, transport, healthcare, banking, and digital infrastructure, are subject to more rigorous regulatory requirements and greater government oversight due to the critical nature of their operations. Important Entities, like postal services, manufacturing, and digital providers, have less severe consequences in case of operational disruptions and are categorized as Important.
What Are the Key Requirements for NIS2 Compliance?
To enhance overall cybersecurity posture, manage security risks, and minimize the impact of cyber incidents, NIS2 mandates all Essential and Important entities to implement appropriate and proportionate technical, operational, and organizational measures. These measures must include policies on risk analysis, business continuity, supply chain security, network and information systems security, cyber hygiene practices, cybersecurity training, cryptography and encryption usage, multi-factor authentication, and more.
What is the Penalty for Non-Compliance?
NIS2 requires EU member states to impose strict penalties for non-compliance, including fines of up to 10 million EUR or 2% of total global annual turnover for essential entities and fines of up to 7 million EUR or 1.4% of total global annual turnover for important entities. Management liability for infringements is also a consequence of non-compliance.
NIS2 Requirements for the Use of Cryptography and Encryption
Cryptography and encryption are crucial components of NIS2 cybersecurity requirements. The directive emphasizes the implementation of policies and procedures for their usage, highlighting the importance of PKI and certificate lifecycle management. Managing digital certificates effectively is vital for data protection and compliance, as they establish trust, enable strong authentication, and encrypt data and communications. Manual processes for certificate management are time-intensive and error-prone, leading to vulnerabilities and compliance violations. Automation solutions like AppViewX CERT+ can streamline certificate management, mitigate security risks, and ensure compliance with regulations like NIS2.
How AppViewX’s Certificate Lifecycle Automation Solution Helps You Comply with NIS2
AppViewX CERT+ is a scalable certificate lifecycle management (CLM) solution that automates all certificate processes end-to-end. It provides visibility, automation, and control across various environments to simplify certificate lifecycle management, build crypto resilience, and ensure continuous compliance. With features like certificate discovery, inventory, monitoring, automated workflows, policy enforcement, and audit trails, AppViewX CERT+ helps organizations stay compliant with NIS2 requirements and maintain a secure certificate ecosystem.
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