An important deadline is just around the corner for businesses that operate in the European Union (EU): By October 17, 2024, EU Member States must implement the NIS2 Directive into their national laws. Failure by critical infrastructure organizations to comply with additional cybersecurity obligations can result in consequences including financial penalties and reputational damage. However, the timeline shouldn’t come as a surprise as discussions on NIS reform officially began in 2020 and the directive was formally introduced in January 2023.

We’ve been in discussions with our critical infrastructure customers that operate in the EU about how the ThreatQ Platform aligns with the NIS2 Directive mandates. By combining the capabilities of a Threat Intelligence Platform (TIP) with security automation, ThreatQ supports NIS2 requirements in disciplines that encompass Risk Management, Incident Reporting, Information Sharing, and Supervision. 

Our Executive Brief provides further details on how ThreatQ helps organizations address measures within these disciplines. Here are some of the highlights:

Risk Management (Article 14)

Effective risk management is at the core of the NIS2 Directive. ThreatQ can play a pivotal role in this regard by identifying and assessing risks and prioritizing remediation efforts. 

Let’s look at a power grid operator using ThreatQ as an example:

The platform collects data on emerging threats to the energy sector, including information on vulnerabilities in critical systems. Using ThreatQ, the operator identifies a high-severity threat that could potentially disrupt energy distribution. With this insight, they can prioritize patching and fortify the vulnerable systems to mitigate the risk effectively.

Incident Reporting (Article 15)

Incident reporting is essential to keep authorities informed of cybersecurity incidents that impact critical infrastructure. The combined power of a TIP and security automation streamlines the incident reporting process.

A telecommunications company provides a good example:

In the event of a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack targeting their network, ThreatQ immediately identifies the attack vectors and affected systems. Automation within ThreatQ triggers a pre-defined incident response plan, which includes incident documentation and notification to regulatory authorities as required by the NIS2 Directive.

Information Sharing (Article 16)

Sharing threat intelligence and best practices is vital for the collective defense against cyber threats. ThreatQ makes it easy for organizations to collaborate with other organizations and share findings.

Think about a financial institution using ThreatQ:

The organization participates in a threat intelligence sharing group focused on financial sector threats. When they uncover a new malware strain affecting their systems, ThreatQ enables them to share this intelligence with other member institutions, helping the entire sector fortify their defenses against this specific threat.

Supervision (Article 17)

Supervisory authorities play a crucial role in ensuring organizations’ compliance with the NIS2 Directive. ThreatQ facilitates supervision as a tool to monitor the security posture of organizations.

Consider a government agency that oversees the transportation sector:

By integrating with the ThreatQ Platform, the agency can efficiently assess each organization’s readiness to address threats that might disrupt transportation services. Providing guidance and support based on real-time threat intelligence, they can monitor and enhance the sector’s overall resilience.  

Whether working directly with organizations in critical infrastructure sectors, or the government agencies that oversee them, ThreatQ is a valuable tool to enhance cyber resilience in accordance with the NIS2 Directive.

For more information, download the Executive Brief, or go straight to a demo.