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Cyber Compliance vs GDPR: What’s the Difference?

Table of Contents

Why Businesses Get Confused
  • • Business owners in the UK often have difficulty distinguishing between cybersecurity and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
  • • Cybersecurity is primarily concerned with operational protection for hardware, software, system data, and network infrastructure from cyber-attack.
  • • The UK GDPR aims to protect individuals’ personal information and give them a voice when it comes to the use of their data.
  • • The two areas are inherently linked and often intersect in many ways.
  • • To meet the GDPR provisions, businesses must protect personal information with proper cybersecurity.
  • • A business could be adequately protected against all forms of cyber-attack yet still not comply with the requirements of UK GDPR.
  • • Businesses can effectively manage risk by understanding these distinctions.
  • • By having a clear understanding of both areas of compliance, businesses can ultimately remain fully compliant while avoiding unnecessary complexity.
What Cybersecurity Compliance Means
  • Cybersecurity compliance means that you have the appropriate protections in place to ensure the safety of your data and systems.
  • Cybersecurity compliance is not a lawful requirement; rather, it consists of several different components:
  • • Best practices for securing data and systems
  • • Standards for your industry
  • • Frameworks for security (ISO, NIST, etc.)
  • In basic terms, cybersecurity compliance pertains to implementing basic security controls to lower the risk of a cybersecurity incident.
  • For example, cybersecurity compliance activities often include:
  • • Implementing strong passwords
  • • Implementing firewalls and antivirus software
  • • Controlling access to systems
  • • Performing regular backup procedures
  • • Keeping systems patched and current
  • In the UK, several small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) typically comply with frameworks such as:
  • • Cyber Essentials
  • • Best practices adopted from ISO-type organisations
  • Additionally, while compliance frameworks are not always required by law, many clients and insurers expect businesses to comply with them.
What GDPR Means

What is GDPR?

  • GDPR is a regulation based upon the way an organisation collects, stores and uses the personal data of individuals.

What is considered as personal data?

  • Anything that allows you to specifically identify a person is considered to be personal data, including but not limited to the following:
  • • Name
  • • Email
  • • Phone
  • • Employee record (HR-related)
  • • Customer data
  • The main consideration of the GDPR is not just to secure an organisation's systems, but also to protect people's privacy.
  • At a very high level, organisations that collect personal data are responsible for:
  • • Only collecting the data they need
  • • Securing the data they collect
  • • Using the data they collect in a fair and legal manner
  • • Retaining the data only for as long as is reasonably required
  • • Reporting serious data breaches
  • In the UK, all guidance and enforcement for the GDPR regulation is provided by the Information Commissioner's Office.
Key Differences Between Cyber Compliance and GDPR

1. Legal vs. Best Practice

  • • GDPR is a legal requirement
  • • Cyber Compliance is considered best practice, but can also be contractual

2. Where They Focus

  • • GDPR focuses on the protection of individuals' personal data and their rights
  • • Cyber Compliance focuses on protecting your computer systems and infrastructure

3. Scope

  • • GDPR only applies to personal data
  • • Cyber Compliance applies to all systems and all types of data

4. Enforcing Cyber Compliance

  • • GDPR violations can result in fines and penalties
  • • Cyber incidents can cause operational disruption (downtime or lost data) and financial loss
Where Cybersecurity and GDPR Overlap
  • This is where most confusion arises as they overlap in many respects and work together in practice.
  • Here are some of the areas where GDPR and Cyber Compliance overlap:
  • • Access Control: Only those who should be allowed will have access to the data.
  • • Encryption: Protect sensitive data
  • • Backup & Recovery: Data is not lost.
  • • Incident Response: Quickly address a breach.
  • • User Awareness: Making sure teams have training to do this correctly.
  • In simple terms: Cyber Compliance must be done to meet GDPR security requirements.
Why Both Matter for SMEs
  • SMEs often believe they are "too small" to be targeted; however, this is not true.
  • Risks SMEs face are:
  • • Losing Money due to a cyber incident
  • • Losing Customers if the data is made public
  • • Facing legal action due to a GDPR breach
  • • Not being able to operate normally due to a Cyber incident (e.g., systems are down, data is lost)
  • Even a Minor Cyber Incident Can Have Major Implications for Your Growing Business.
Common Misunderstandings

“GDPR is just filling out forms.”

  • Truth:
  • • GDPR is based on implementing protections, not simply documenting them.

“Cybersecurity on its own makes us compliant.”

  • Truth:
  • • You may be secure, but you might still be misusing personal data.

“Small businesses do not need this.”

  • Truth:
  • • GDPR applies to any business that processes personal data.

“GDPR only applies to large companies.”

  • Truth:
  • • It doesn't matter how big you are; it is the responsibility to comply.
Common Misunderstandings
Action Purpose
1. Control Access Restrict access to what employees require to fulfil their jobs.
2. Use Strong Passwords & MFA To reduce the risk of unauthorised access to employee accounts.
3. Keep Systems Updated To rectify security weaknesses on a frequent basis.
4. Back Up Data To allow for recovery in the event of an incident.
5. Train Staff To reduce the amount of phishing attacks and human error.
6. Know Your Data To identify what personal data you have and how it is used.
7. Limit Data Collection Only collect personal data necessary for conducting business.
8. Have a Basic Incident Plan To prepare for incidents when they occur.
Cybersecurity + GDPR Combined Checklist
  • □ Use Strong Passwords & MFA
  • □ Implement Access Control
  • □ Encryption Must Be In Place
  • □ Backup Data on a Regular Basis
  • □ Maintain Systems Up to Date
  • □ Provide Employee Training on Cybersecurity
  • □ Identify Personal Data
  • □ Only Keep Data For As Long As Necessary
  • □ Have An Incident Response Plan
Basic Compliance Checklist for SMEs
  • ● Understand What Data You Are Holding
  • ● Understand The Reason Why You Are Holding Data
  • ● Make Sure Your Data Is Stored Securely
  • ● Restrict Access To Only Those Who Need Access
  • ● Delete Your Data When You No Longer Need It
Questions Businesses Should Ask
  • ● Who Has Access To Our Data?
  • ● Where Is Our Data Being Stored?
  • ● If We Lose Our Data, What Will Happen?
  • ● How Long Will It Take To Recover Our Data?
  • ● Are We Collecting Data We Don't Need?

Frequently Asked Questions

No! Cyber Security is for protecting Systems, GDPR protects the individual's personal data.

Yes! If you process an individual's personal Data.

The risks include: fine, reputation loss and loss of trust.

Yes! Just because you have Security does not mean you are compliant.

Concentrate on basic controls, i.e., access; password; update; backup; data awareness.

About This Guide

The purpose of this guide is to clarify the differences between cybersecurity compliance and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and to help businesses see how these two areas are related but have separate objectives. Cybersecurity compliance is focused on ensuring systems, networks, and organisational data are secure from cyber threats. The UK GDPR is focused on ensuring that individuals have their personal data protected and that they have certain privacy rights.

This guide will provide insight into the key differences between cybersecurity (including compliance) and GDPR, areas where the two practices may intersect, and common misconceptions that organisations have regarding both. This will be achieved by providing practical recommendations (e.g., implementing access controls, using multi-factor authentication (MFA), backing up data, and training employees) that include how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can comply with both standards.

This guide is provided by Computer Support Centre to assist organisations in improving their security posture and compliance with applicable legislation.

Conclusion

In summary, cybersecurity compliance and GDPR have a relationship but are not the same. Organisations need to have proper cybersecurity in place to protect their systems from attacks; however, they also need to ensure that they are compliant with the requirements of the GDPR when processing personal data.

By becoming familiar with both of these areas and using simple security and data protection processes (e.g., disaster recovery strategy and data retention policy), SMEs can lower their exposure to risk, reduce their potential for civil penalties, and increase their prospects for winning customers.