5.31 Legal, Statutory, Regulatory and Contractual Requirements

Legal, statutory, regulatory, and contractual requirements relevant to information security and the organisation’s approach to meet these requirements should be identified, documented and kept up to date.

Legal, statutory, regulatory, and contractual requirements for information security are designed to ensure that organisations are taking appropriate measures to protect sensitive information and to prevent unauthorised access or misuse.

Legal requirements for information security are established by national and international laws that define how organisations must handle and protect sensitive information. For example, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union establishes strict requirements for the handling of personal data, while the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in the United States sets standards for the protection of healthcare-related information.Statutory requirements are laws or regulations established by national or local governments. These requirements can vary widely depending on the jurisdiction and may include specific requirements for the protection of certain types of information, such as financial or personal data.Regulatory requirements for information security are established by industry-specific regulatory agencies. These requirements can be mandatory or voluntary, and they may be established to ensure that organisations are adhering to industry-specific standards for the protection of sensitive information.Contractual requirements for information security are established through agreements between organisations and their clients, partners, or vendors. These agreements may outline specific requirements for the handling and protection of sensitive information, such as the types of security measures that must be in place or the types of information that may be shared.