Compliance & Frameworks
13 articles
Understanding CCPA's Security Requirements
CCPA and its CPRA amendments set a 'reasonable security' standard rather than prescriptive technical rules, but the private right of action for data breaches makes that standard worth taking seriously.
Building a Compliance Evidence Trail That Doesn't Fall Apart
Good security controls with a bad evidence trail still fail audits. Here's how to design evidence collection so it survives auditor scrutiny instead of collapsing under it.
Common Compliance Audit Failures and How to Avoid Them
Most audit findings trace back to a small set of recurring, avoidable patterns. Here's what actually derails SOC 2, ISO 27001, and PCI DSS audits, and how to close the gaps before they're found for you.
Third-Party Risk Assessments: A Vendor Security Checklist
Your security posture is only as strong as your weakest vendor. Here's a practical framework for tiering vendors, what to actually ask for, and how to keep assessments from becoming a rubber stamp.
FedRAMP Basics for Government Contractors
Selling cloud services to federal agencies means navigating FedRAMP's authorization process. Here's a practical overview of impact levels, authorization paths, and what ongoing compliance actually looks like.
GDPR and Security Testing: What's Required
GDPR doesn't name penetration testing or vulnerability scanning explicitly, but its risk-based security obligations make both effectively necessary. Here's how the requirement actually works.
Mapping Vulnerability Findings to Compliance Controls
A vulnerability finding and a compliance control gap are related but not identical. Here's how to build a traceability layer between the two that survives multiple audits.
How Continuous Testing Simplifies Compliance Audits
Point-in-time security testing before an audit produces thin, disputable evidence. Continuous testing changes the shape of the audit itself. Here's how, and what it takes to implement.
NIST Cybersecurity Framework: A Practical Introduction
NIST CSF 2.0 gives organizations a common vocabulary for cybersecurity risk rather than a prescriptive control list. Here's how the six functions work and how to build a usable profile from them.
ISO 27001 vs SOC 2: Choosing the Right Framework
ISO 27001 and SOC 2 are often treated as interchangeable trust signals, but they differ in structure, audience, and what they actually certify. Here's how to decide which one to pursue first.
Preparing for Your First HIPAA Security Risk Assessment
HIPAA's Security Rule requires a documented risk analysis, not a specific checklist. Here's what actually goes into a defensible first assessment and where teams typically fall short.
PCI DSS Explained for Non-Payments Teams
PCI DSS applies more broadly than most engineering teams assume. Here's what the standard actually requires, in plain language, for teams that don't live in payments.
SOC 2 Compliance: What Security Teams Need to Know
A practical breakdown of SOC 2's Trust Services Criteria, Type I vs Type II reports, and what security teams actually need to build and prove before an auditor shows up.