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Cyber Security
Risk Management

An overview of the European NIS 2 Directive 

European NIS-2 Directive

The NIS-2 Directive, officially known as "The Network and Information Security (NIS) Directive," was published in the EU Official Journal on December 27, 2022, and came into effect on January 16, 2023. It governs the cybersecurity and information security of businesses and institutions. EU member states are required to transpose it into national law by October 2024.

The NIS-2 Directive enhances cybersecurity requirements and sanctions to harmonize and improve the security levels across member states. It imposes stricter requirements on various sectors, addressing topics such as cyber risk management, control and monitoring, incident response, and business continuity. Additionally, the directive broadens the scope to include more organizations. Stricter liability rules will apply to the management of affected organizations.

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Stefan Wachter

DI Stefan Wachter
Business Competence Center Mobility Solutions

Full Name

Full Name

Directive (EU) 2022/2555 on measures for a high common level of cybersecurity across the Union

Background

Background

  • Response to escalating cyber threats in Europe
  • Builds on experience from prior NIS Directive

Objectives

Objectives

  • Safeguard EU critical organizations and infrastructure from cyber threats
  • Attain a uniform high level of security throughout the EU

Sectors in Scope

Sectors with High Criticality

Transport
Transport
Energy
Energy
Health
Health
Banking
Banking
Public Admin.
Public Admin.
Digital Infrastr.
Digital Infrastr.
Drinking Water
Drinking Water
Financial Market
Financial Market
Space
Space

Other Critical Sectors

Postal & Courier
Postal & Courier
Waste Mgmt.
Waste Mgmt.
Digital Providers
Digital Providers
Food
Food
Manu-facturing
Manu-facturing
Chemicals
Chemicals
Research
Research

Is Your Company Affected?

Check whether your company
falls under
High Criticality or
Other Critical Sectors

If YES

 

THEN, depending on

Size
Sector
Criticality

Your company falls either under
Essential or Important entity

 

Essential & Important entities

Sector

Large Entity     

Medium Entity     

Small Entity     

Micro Entity     

  Transport     

Essential Essential      Important Important     notinscope Not in scope notinscope Not in scope

  Energy     

Essential Essential Important Important notinscope Not in scope      notinscope Not in scope

  Digital Infrastructure     

Essential Essential Essential Essential      Essential Essential Essential Essential
 
   

Employees OR Annual Turnover

    Large Entity Medium Entity Small Entity Micro Entity
    >=250 | >€ 50M      50-249 | 10-50M      <50 | <10M      <10 | <2M

Not sure how your company is classified?

Timeline

17. Dec 2022

NIS 2 Directive was published as Directive (EU) 2022/2555

17. Oct 2024

Member States must adopt and publish the measures necessary to comply with the NIS 2 Directive

17. April 2025

Member States shall establish a list of essential and important entities

17. Oct 2027

The Commission shall review the functioning of this Directive

Deadline for Entities

  • 17th Oct 2024 deadline only concerns the transposition into national law
  • It does not mark the point in time from which the requirements are valid for affected companies.
  • There will be a reasonable implementation period for affected companies to comply with the national law

Supervision

   

Measures

Essential Entities

Important Entities

Inspection      Inspection On-site inspection and off-site supervision, incl. random checks conducted by trained professionals on On-site inspection and off-site ex post supervision
Audit      Audit Regular and targeted security audits carried out by an independent body or a competent authority; incl. Ad hoc audits. Targeted Security Audits
Security scans     

Security
scans

Security scans based on objective, non-discriminatory, fair and transparent risk assessment criteria
Information Requests     

Information Requests

Requests to access data, documents and information necessary to carry out their supervisory task.
Further information requests      Further information requests Requests for information necessary to assess the cybersecurity risk-management measures adopted by the entity concerned. Requests for information necessary to assess, ex post, the cybersecurity risk management measures adopted by the entity concerned.

What happens if you do not comply with NIS?

Fines

  • Firms that fail to adhere to NIS2 could face substantial penalties depending on their classification as essential or important entities. 
  • Essential entities: can be fined at least € 10M or 2 % of the total worldwide annual turnover in the preceding financial year. 
  • Important entities: can be fined at least € 7M or 1.4 % of the total worldwide annual

Legal consequences

  • Non-compliance with NIS2 not only risks fines, but also legal consequences for management teams failing to meet the new requirements. 

 

 

NIS 2 Main Areas of Requirements

Corporate Accountability
Corporate Accountability
  • Supervise implementation of NIS cybersecurity risk-management
  • Participate in risk identification and cybersecurity evaluation training
  • Provide regular cybersecurity training for employees
  • Accountable for non-compliance
Cyber Security Risk-Management
Cyber Security Risk-Management
  • Implement risk mitigation strategies
  • Focus on incident response, supply chain security, network fortification
  • Improve access control and use encryption 
Reporting Obligations
Reporting Obligations
  • Establish strong reporting protocols
  • 24h: Initial alert and type to authority/CSIRT
  • 72h: Detailed report on evaluation, severity, and impact
  • 1 month: Final resolution report with lessons learned
Certification Schemes
Certification Schemes
  • Essential entities: encouraged to use EU-certified ICT products & services to ensure compliance
  • Including system recovery, emergency procedures & establishment of crisis response team
  • EU Commission will specify which entities need certifications and set timeline
 

NIS 2 Cybersecurity Risk-Management Compliance: A Dual-Security Approach

  • Integrating IT and OT Security for NIS 2 Compliance:
    • Organizations must merge Information Technology and Operational Technology security strategies. This integration is vital due to the expanded attack surface from IT and OT convergence, ensuring cyber threat protection and operational resilience.
  • IEC 62443 Standards for OT Security:
    • These standards provide a framework to secure Operational Technology systems, especially in critical infrastructures. Adherence to IEC 62443 enables proactive management of OT-specific risks, the establishment of robust security controls, and maintenance of operational integrity. 
NIS 2 Cybersecurity Risk-Management Compliance: A Dual-Security Approach
  • ISO 27001 Framework for IT Security:
    • This standard is crucial for systematic management of IT security risks. It outlines requirements for an Information Security Management System (ISMS), ensuring data protection, legal compliance, and a structured method for assessing, managing, and mitigating IT risks.

Cybersecurity risk-management measures

  • Policies on risk analysis and information system security
    • Establish processes for regular risk analysis and vulnerabiliy assessment.
    • Conduct asset identification, documentation, and software cataloging.
    • Identify and document current security weaknesses and vulnerabilities.
    • Routinely execute penetration tests on internal infrastructure and existing security implementations.
    • Adopt an Information Security Management System (ISMS) in line with standards like ISO 27001, TISAX, and others.
  • Incident handling and management
  • Business continuity and crisis management (back‐ups, disaster recovery)
  • Supply chain security
  • Security in network and information systems acquisition, development and maintenance, including vulnerability handling and disclosure
  • Policies and procedures to assess the effectiveness of cybersecurity risk-management measures
  • Basic cyber hygiene practices and cybersecurity training;
  • Policies and procedures regarding the use of cryptography and, where appropriate, encryption;
  • Human resources security, access control policies and asset management;
  • The use of multi-factor authentication or continuous authentication solutions, secured voice, video and text communications and secured emergency communication systems within the entity, where appropriate.

 

How can msg Plaut help you?

Compliance Strategy Development

We simplify the complexity of the NIS 2 Directive, offering you a clear, step-by-step compliance plan that fits your organization's timeline and processes.

Gap Analysis & Actionable points

Through our gap analysis, we pinpoint exactly where you stand with NIS 2 compliance and provide you with tailored solutions to address the issues

Compliance
Assistance

Count on our experts for help throughout the process of meeting NIS 2 requirements, from the first steps to full compliance.

Compliance
Training

Our training will give your team the knowledge they need to understand and implement the requirements of the NIS 2 Directive.

Blog: The Cybersecuity Compass

Ayhan Mehmed and Natalia Petrova-Korudzhiyski are constantly presenting new and trending
cybersecurity topics in their blog. You can find all episodes here:

You want more information? We will be happy to help you!

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Stefan Wachter

DI Stefan Wachter
Business Competence Center Mobility Solutions