The NIS2 Directive is a European Union legislative launched to help ensure better cybersecurity for the region. The EU-wide NIS2 legislative was instituted on 16 January 2023. It is to replace the Network and Information Security (NIS) Directive that preceded it. Compared to NIS, NIS2 mandates more stringent security enforcement compliance requirements and stricter supervision, necessitates more involvement from entities and industries, addresses the security of supply chains, and streamlines reporting obligations. EU member nations have until 17 October 2024 to comply with NIS2 regulations and incorporate them into national law. The NIS2 Directive will undoubtedly have a considerable effect on businesses carrying out their operations within the EU. This article will outline the key points of the NIS2 Directive and offer a glimpse into how to comply with this new EU cybersecurity legislation.
NIS2 Directive is not the only one
Before taking a deep dive into NIS2, let us not forget that the European Union is not the only one with a security strategy. In 2022, the U.S. government introduced a Federal Zero Trust Architecture Strategy as part of its National Cybersecurity Strategy. The FTC Safeguards Rule is another example of recent cybersecurity regulation.
What are the NIS2 Directive changes?
The goal of NIS2 is to promote and further implement improved cybersecurity standards, not just within individual organizations but also when collaborating between entities and across borders in the EU. Nevertheless, NIS2 does not provide a specific list of technological changes. Rather, it provides a conceptual framework for attaining better overall security.
The NIS2 Directive changes are:
- The NIS2 Directive covers more sectors
- Harmonized sanctions and fines
- Increased EU cooperation
- Cybersecurity risk management
- Greater consistency and coherence
1. The NIS2 Directive covers more sectors
The NIS2 Directive expands the scope of covered sectors and services. It covers all sectors covered by NIS1 and also introduces new sectors that NIS1 did not cover.
The NIS2 Directive will cover all sectors that were already covered by NIS1:
- Healthcare
- Transport
- Banking and Financial Market Infrastructure
- Digital Infrastructure
- Water Supply
- Energy
- Digital Service Providers
In addition, NIS2 will also cover the following sectors that NIS1 did not cover:
- Providers of Public Electronic Communications Networks or Services
- Digital Services such as Social Networking Services Platforms and Data Centre Services
- Waste Water and Waste Management
- Space
- Manufacturing or Certain Critical Products (such as Pharmaceuticals, Medical Devices, and Chemicals)
- Postal and Courier Services
- Food
- Public Administration
2. Harmonized sanctions and fines
If any entity fails to abide by the provisions of the NIS2 Directive (once the respective member states have adopted it), they could be penalized with a financial penalty of up to €10 million or 2% of their global turnover, whichever is higher.
Sanctions include fines for breaches of cybersecurity risk management and reporting obligations. For example, enterprises must submit an initial report within 24 hours of being aware of a cyber incident and a final report no later than one month after the initial report.
3. Increased EU cooperation
The NIS2 Directive establishes an EU Cyber Crises Liaison Organisation Network (EU-CyCLONe) to aid in the coordinated management of large-scale, EU-wide cybersecurity incidents and crises on the European Union level.
The NIS2 Directive is also meant to ensure the regular exchange of information and strengthen cooperation between Member State authorities with an enhanced role of the Cooperation Group.
Last but not least, NIS2 mandates a coordinated vulnerability disclosure process for newly identified vulnerabilities.
4. Cybersecurity risk management
The NIS2 Directive proposes a list of focused cybersecurity measures to strengthen organizations’ cybersecurity resilience. The proposed measures include:
- Incident handling and crisis management
- Vulnerability handling and disclosure
- Assessing the efficacy of cybersecurity risk management measures
- Basic computer hygiene practices and cybersecurity training
- Using cryptography effectively
- Human resource security
- Access control policies
- Asset management
In addition, NIS2 will strengthen the cybersecurity of the supply chain for key information and communication technologies. Also, the company management will be held accountable for complying with cybersecurity risk-management measures. Lastly, NIS2 aims to strengthen incident reporting obligations by implementing more exact regulations concerning the reporting procedure, the information provided, and the specified timeline.
5. Greater consistency and coherence
NIS2 eliminates the need for Member States to individually improve rules, standards, and expectations regarding operational resilience and cybersecurity.
How to meet NIS2 Directive compliance requirements?
The NIS2 Directive hints that it is impossible to devise a single strategy to adequately address the NIS2 Directive throughout. This is due to the disparate conditions and capabilities that each Member State and the organization holds and NIS2 Directive’s vague technological requirements. Thus, an organized movement should be initiated with participation from the individual companies, their respective local and national governments, and the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA). This joint effort is necessary to single out, apply, and enforce the required modifications.
Nevertheless, there are things you can do to meet NIS2 Directive compliance requirements and ensure an excellent security posture for your organization.
Step 1: Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for all users
Implementing Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is the first and most essential step to meet NIS2 Directive compliance requirements. With the increasingly advanced cyberattacks and ready-made tools available to attackers, relying on passwords alone for protection is no longer sufficient.
Not all authentication methods are equally secure, so it is important to look for an MFA provider that offers a wide range of available authentication methods. It is also important to choose an MFA provider that provides a company-wide Multi-Factor Authentication solution that can protect all your applications, services, and VPNs, as well as all your users, without exceptions.
Step 2: Put extra care into protecting critical data
Another vital step to meet NIS2 Directive compliance requirements is ensuring high protection for critical data. Here are some ways to protect critical data that will comply with NIS2:
- Enable Phishing-Resistant MFA – Enable FIDO-compliant MFA for privileged and administrator accounts to ensure top security level logins for your most important accounts.
- Enable Adaptive MFA – Enable robust security policies with more stringent security rules for vulnerable endpoints, essential applications, and privileged users to strengthen the protection of weak points in your infrastructure.
- Enable strong encryption – Encryption databases, communications, documents, servers, and critical infrastructure, makes it less likely that an intruder who breaches a system or network can access useable or essential data.
How can Rublon Multi-Factor Authentication help you meet NIS2 compliance requirements?
Rublon MFA comes with a wide range of cybersecurity defense options for enterprises and small businesses looking to increase their cybersecurity resilience.
Rublon can help organizations satisfy NIS2 compliance requirements in the following ways:
- Support for multiple IdPs and hundreds of services: Rublon integrates with hundreds of cloud-based and on-premises services, applications, VPNs, and Microsoft technologies. This makes it easy for organizations to centrally manage and secure user access to their various business applications.
- Cutting-Edge Multi-Factor Authentication: Rublon provides multi-factor authentication, which requires users to authenticate themselves multiple times before gaining access to their accounts. This makes it much harder for attackers to access accounts, even if they have the correct credentials.
- Advanced security measures: Rublon also provides advanced security measures such as device fingerprinting, two-factor authentication, and behavioral analytics to identify suspicious activity. These measures help organizations better protect their sensitive data and meet NIS2 compliance requirements.
Overall, Rublon Multi-Factor Authentication is an excellent option for organizations looking to satisfy NIS2 compliance requirements and better protect their data.
Summarizing How to meet the NIS2 Directive compliance requirements
The NIS2 Directive may be daunting, but cybersecurity is nothing more than following simple fundamentals. The easiest way to boost your cyber resilience is by enabling Phishing-Resistant Adaptive Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for all your users. Rublon MFA is an excellent MFA solution for any business trying to achieve NIS2 compliance. Or any other regulatory compliance for that matter.
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