Incident tracking for EU NIS2:

The NIS2 Directive introduces stricter cybersecurity requirements across the EU, emphasizing the need for timely incident tracking and reporting.

Who does NIS2 apply to: According to Article 7 of the NIS2 directive, which defines the scope of NIS2, organizations in critical sectors—such as healthcare, energy, and finance (Annex 1)—must comply to protect their systems and ensure regulatory adherence.

The importance of having an incident tracking software

Incident tracking is essential to maintaining operational stability, security, and compliance within organizations. By systematically logging and addressing incidents, teams can detect recurring issues, identify attack kill chains, and improve response times for future incidents.

Key steps in incident tracking are:

• Monitoring: Continuous observation and auditing.
• Categorization: Classifying incidents based on severity to determine priority.
• Response and escalation: Executing predefined response actions and escalating if necessary.
• Post-incident review: Analyzing and documenting incidents to prevent future occurrences.

The importance of incident tracking lies in maintaining operational continuity, strengthening the security posture, and being compliant.

NIS2 directive requirements for incident reporting

Article 23 defines what qualifies as a significant incident and outlines the reporting obligations organizations must follow. It also mandates that a single point of contact submit a quarterly summary report to ENISA, which includes anonymized, aggregated data on significant incidents, general incidents, cyber threats, and near misses.

Key components include:

What happens if you don’t report incidents?

Failure to report incidents under Article 34 of the NIS 2 Directive can lead to serious consequences for organizations.

Key stakeholders to notify

Key stakeholders that need to be notified during an incident include a range of internal and external parties.

Primary stake holders include:

• Internal security teams: For immediate response actions.
• National authorities: To comply with NIS2 regulations, such as CSIRTs or sector regulators.
• Customers and partners: Especially if services or data are affected.
• Legal and compliance teams: To ensure regulatory adherence.

Steps to implement NIS2 compliant incident tracking

Technologies to enable NIS2 compliance

The technologies that can support NIS2 compliance are those that enable both proactive and reactive measures in cybersecurity. Some examples are:

The EU's new horizons

The NIS2 Directive represents a new era in cybersecurity for organizations in the EU. By prioritizing incident tracking and response, organizations not only comply with the directive but also enhance their overall cybersecurity posture. Investing in the right tools and strategies now will prepare your organization to respond effectively when (not if) cyber incidents occur.