Preliminary considerations of the EU NIS 2 Directive
It may sound overdue, but in view of the growing threat posed by hackers and other cyber criminals, there is a need for careful reform of the security architecture and the rules for the collaborative, as it were, secure use of data in the digital space. This is where the European NIS 2 Directive comes into play: the required changes regarding the security of Networks and Information Systems (NIS) are a response to changing circumstances and potential risks. The stated aim of the regulation is to minimize the risk of cyber attacks on critical infrastructures (KRITIS) and the digital economy and to significantly improve the ability of EU member states to manage such risks. Among other things, system-immanent (technological) minimum standards and the establishment of behavioral routines for potential emergencies are defined.
“Creating shared awareness of potential threats is such an important component because in a highly connected world, it no longer just affects individual actors, but an entire sector is under attack. ”
What is the EU NIS 2 Directive?
As the name suggests, EU NIS 2 is a consistent reform of the original NIS Directive from 2016, which in turn was intended as part of a broad-based response to increasing attacks on insufficiently protected networks and information systems. Together with the Cyber Resilience Act of 2020, NIS/NIS 2 forms a comprehensive strategy to secure the EU-wide digital (economic) area. The focus of NIS 2 is clearly on establishing even more concise and significantly refined procedures for dealing with cyber attacks: creating a shared awareness of potential threats is such an important component because in a highly connected world, it no longer just affects individual actors, but an entire sector is under attack.
What is changing under the EU NIS 2 Directive?
The most important amendments to information security concern the following points:
1. Constant monitoring and continuous review of security routines
2. Implement measures to prevent and respond to cybersecurity threats
3. Establish procedures to monitor and verify security breaches
4. Comprehensive training of employees and general awareness of information security
5. Regular review and update of information security procedures
6. Working closely with other organizations and authorities to address cybersecurity threats
Conclusion EU NIS 2: An important step towards a secure digital economy
Constant attention to these topics should guarantee secure business processes in the future. Implementing the measures is so important because it not only affects one's own safety, but, as a participant in a potentially global communication context, supposedly external third parties can also be affected. The networking society requires the establishment of a new collective consciousness, which also includes far-reaching security aspects. Only if this is successful will the volatile digital space continue to develop into a resilient foundation for economic prosperity.
