GDPR cybersecurity
11/07/2024

GDPR Cybersecurity: Strategies to Protect Sensitive Personal Data

Talking about GDPR cybersecurity highlights the importance of strategies designed to safeguard organizations in an increasingly complex landscape of cyber threats.

The arrival of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) marked a significant shift in how organizations manage their digital operations.

Years after its implementation, its importance continues to grow. A glance at cybersecurity statistics leaves no doubt: over three-quarters of companies (77%) have experienced at least one cybersecurity breach in the past two years, according to a 2023 Kaspersky report.

In this context, implementing measures to effectively protect sensitive data and comply with GDPR privacy requirements is essential.

However, factors such as regulatory complexity, a lack of awareness about the risks associated with security breaches, and some resistance to change have hindered the adoption of measures that this issue deserves.

Many companies also question how to balance cybersecurity and GDPR compliance without compromising business efficiency. This is precisely where an appropriate focus on GDPR cybersecurity comes into play. Let's analyze it.

GDPR Cybersecurity: A Definition

The concept of GDPR cybersecurity refers to the measures and protocols implemented at the intersection of GDPR compliance and cybersecurity within a company.

It considers GDPR regulations that, at a European level, establish standards for the protection of personal data. This legislation goes beyond cybersecurity protection, extending to create new legal concepts such as ARCO rights (Access, Rectification, Cancellation, Opposition) to protect citizens' interests.

This legislation was introduced to expand rights and significantly change organizations' obligations regarding the protection of sensitive data. Within this regulation, the adoption of adequate cybersecurity measures is foreseen to ensure the protection of the sensitive data they process. This includes measures to protect data against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction.

Although cybersecurity extends beyond these measures, it is a fundamental component for GDPR compliance.

In many ways, GDPR cybersecurity can be seen as an opportunity for real business transformation, becoming environments where cybersecurity and total data control are effective. It involves a cultural shift towards security, improved data management processes and practices, and investments in advanced security technology.

Key Steps for a GDPR Cybersecurity Protocol

A first step to understanding GDPR cybersecurity requirements for businesses is to consult the legal text itself. The law specifies that companies must take "appropriate security measures" in line with their level of risk.

The text acknowledges that generalizing GDPR cybersecurity measures is impossible since each organization's needs are different.

However, the text specifies a crucial measure: organizations must notify the relevant authorities within 72 hours of discovering a cybersecurity breach. During this period, it will be vital to have all possible information about what happened and the attack's impact.

Based on this requirement, we can affirm that any GDPR cybersecurity protocol must necessarily incorporate at least two key steps:

  • Implement necessary measures for the early detection of security breaches. This is crucial to minimize the impact of data breaches and protect privacy as much as possible. Below, we detail some specific GDPR cybersecurity measures fundamental in this case.
  • Establish mechanisms for timely notification to the relevant authorities and affected data subjects.

Fundamental Measures for GDPR Cybersecurity

Identity and Access Management (IAM)

IAM solutions are aimed at controlling who has access to systems and data, as well as what type of access they have. Proper management ensures that only authorized individuals can access personal data, minimizing risks from a preventive perspective.

Data Encryption

Another fundamental measure that combines GDPR and cybersecurity, data encryption, and anonymization solutions help protect data at rest (stored), in transit (moving between systems), and in use (while being processed).

Here, data anonymization and pseudonymization tools come into play, recognized by GDPR as valid techniques to reduce the risk of identifying individuals from personal data.

Threat Detection and Response Systems (EDR)

We are currently in a complex cyber threat landscape, where threats like ransomware put organizations at risk daily, seeking opportunities to access sensitive data.

In this context, cybersecurity solutions designed to detect and respond to cyber threats in real-time are essential. Capable of searching for suspicious behavior that could indicate an attack, they enable a quick response to comply with GDPR requirements regarding the response to security breaches.

Tools for Managing ARCO Rights

Among the GDPR's obligations for companies is the management of ARCO rights. In practice, this means allowing individuals to access, correct, delete, and oppose the processing of their personal data.

Automatic management tools appear here to facilitate compliance and ensure strict control over data management within organizations.

icaria GDPR: Your Ally for Advanced GDPR Cybersecurity

As we have seen, managing GDPR cybersecurity is a challenge for organizations, requiring transformation at many levels based on strict legislation and an increasingly complex cyber threat environment.

In this context, icaria GDPR helps companies manage data and GDPR compliance from a cybersecurity-focused approach.

Developed by icaria Technology, this platform facilitates the application of ARCO rights in productive application environments. It goes beyond that, being a comprehensive solution for responsible data use that ensures compliance with legislation. Efficiency and cost reduction are also important aspects of the equation, along with the need to leverage data potential.

Its most important features include:

  • Automation of GDPR rights application processes, avoiding errors associated with manual processing
  • Reduced management costs through proper management of data storage platforms.
  • Identification of sensitive data
  • Deletion or anonymization of sensitive data
  • Creation of erasure right application plans with differentiated treatments depending on each data subject
  • Unified management of different applications and databases
  • Facilitates traceability of actions and access history

Data management with icaria GDPR (and our TDM tool) already protects 26.5 million clients and their data, demonstrating a firm commitment to ensuring the privacy of millions of individuals and promoting secure data management in organizations.

Would you like to see how our platform can help you implement an effective and automated GDPR cybersecurity plan? Contact us to see it firsthand.

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