How Okta simplifies NIS2 compliance: a deep dive
The newly updated NIS2 Directive marks a significant turning point in Europe’s fight against cybercrime. When organisations adhere to these regulations, they can reduce the risk of data leaks, safeguard sensitive information, and ensure the security of critical IT systems. Failure to comply, however, can lead to devastating financial penalties.
Considering what’s at stake, ensuring NIS2 compliance is a key priority. But what changes must organisations make before the deadline arrives on 17th October 2024? And where does a modern cloud Identity platform come into play? In this post, we delve into five critical requirements outlined by regulators and explore how Okta solutions help meet them.
NIS2 Requirement #1: Apply stronger risk management
Every day, we hear reports of new attacks outwitting security professionals and inflicting massive damages to IT infrastructure. To proactively mitigate these threats, NIS2 urges that all organisations within Member States implement stronger cybersecurity risk management and reporting measures that anticipate and address potential cyber threats before they escalate.
How Okta helps
Our phishing resistant Adaptive Multi-Factor Authentication solution removes the risk of vulnerable passwords and analyses the user’s context at login time. After the user tries to sign in, Risk-based Authentication assigns a risk score to the attempt based on contextual cues, such as their location, device, and IP address. Based on the risk level, the solution can deny access or prompt the user to submit an additional authentication factor to guard against potential breaches.
NIS2 Requirement #2: Improve incident handling
Cybersecurity attacks often happen fast and can move through IT networks quickly. To keep damage to a minimum, the NIS2 Directive mandates that all organisations have sufficient incident management protocols in place. This proactive measure enables organisations to quickly isolate attacks and stop them from spreading.
How Okta helps
When a security system detects a suspicious actor, Okta can enforce any number of policies from asking the user to re-authenticate all the way to suspending the user’s access. This can happen automatically or if specifically directed by a security analyst. Okta also integrates with your existing security infrastructure to make enforcing security policies faster and more efficient.
NIS2 Requirement #3: Ensure business continuity
Security breaches not only put sensitive data at risk, but they can also bring business operations to a standstill. For this reason, the NIS2 Directive mandates that all organisations operating in Member States have sufficient business continuity plans in place to minimise downtime.
How Okta helps
Through our highly available cloud architecture and unwavering focus on reliability, Okta has already achieved greater than 99.99% uptime since 2017. We do this while deploying over 48 releases per year with zero planned downtime, as the Okta service never shuts down for maintenance.
NIS2 Requirement #4: Enhance monitoring, auditing, and testing
Given the evolving nature of ransomware and other cyberattacks, NIS2 requires that organisations regularly perform audits and tests to validate their security measures. This way, regulators can clearly see if the organisations they are assessing have put adequate stops in place to protect their employee and customer data.
How Okta helps
Okta makes it easy to audit user access by bridging legacy and cloud directory user data and logging lifecycle management transactions. We’ve also curated a list of pre-built reports that help admins detect potential security risks and understand how end users consume apps and services.
NIS2 Requirement #5: Incident reporting
The NIS 2 regulation necessitates a swift incident reporting timeline, requiring the initial report to be filed within 24 hours of an event, followed by a technical report under 72 hours. To meet this demand, it is crucial to establish a well-structured incident response plan.
How Okta helps
Okta plays a crucial role in this preparation by providing comprehensive visibility into authorisation and access attempts across various infrastructures and technologies. This capability assists organisations in reconstructing the timelines of network or resource reconnaissance, a crucial component in incident reporting.
NIS2 Requirement #6: Strengthen supply chain security
Supply chain attacks are a major concern for EU regulators and a prime motivator for the NIS2 Directive. To minimise the risk of third-party cyberattacks, NIS2 requires that organisations hold regular vendor risk assessments and audits, establish contractual agreements that outline specific security requirements, and maintain ongoing monitoring and communication with suppliers.
How Okta helps
By focusing on effective and adaptable mechanisms for regulating access to data and securing information, Okta's solutions incorporate continuous authentication and authorisation practices that align with Zero Trust principles. Through tight control of access to cloud-based resources and continuous monitoring and auditing of user activity, Okta ensures compliance while mitigating risks.
Ensure NIS2 compliance with Okta today
To discover how Okta Workforce Identity Cloud and Okta Customer Identity Cloud and other solutions can support your organisation with NIS2 compliance and for more resources click here.
