The Value of EBIOS Risk Manager in the Context of NIS 2, DORA, and ISO27001 Certification

Risk assessment plays an integral role in ensuring compliance with the NIS 2 Directive and the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) and is crucial for organizations aiming to obtain ISO 27001 certification.

EBIOS Risk Manager, developed by ANSSI, offers a sophisticated and adaptable framework for assessing and treating digital risks. Its strengths lie in its iterative approach, divided into five comprehensive workshops and aligning well with ISO27001, NIS 2, and DORA requirements.

Iterative Approach:

EBIOS Risk Manager adopts a five-workshop strategy, enabling organizations to understand and manage their digital risk landscape thoroughly. This iterative process encourages continuous improvement, a critical aspect of effective risk management, and aligns with the ISO27001 principle of continual improvement.

• Workshop 1 - Scope and Security Baseline:Objective: To identify the studied object, participants, and timeframe.Activities: Listing missions, business assets, and supporting assets related to the studied object, identifying feared events associated with these assets, and assessing the severity of their impacts.Outcome: Definition of the security baseline and the differential.
• Workshop 2 - Risk Origins & Target Objectives:Objective: To identify and characterize the risk origins (RO) and their high-level targets known as target objectives (TO).Activities: Selecting the most relevant RO/TO pairs by the end of the workshop.Outcome: Formalization of a mapping of the risk origins.
• Workshop 3 - Strategic Scenarios:Objective: To get a clear view of the ecosystem and establish a mapping of the digital threat concerning the studied object.Activities: Constructing high-level scenarios called strategic scenarios, which represent the attack paths a risk origin is likely to take to reach its target, designed at the scale of the ecosystem and the business assets.Outcome: Assessment of these scenarios regarding severity and defining initial security measures for the ecosystem.
• Workshop 4 - Operational Scenarios:Objective: To construct technical scenarios that include the attack methods used by the risk origins to carry out the strategic scenarios.Activities: Focus on critical supporting assets and assess the likelihood of the operational scenarios.Outcome: Development of operational scenarios with assessed levels of likelihood.
• Workshop 5 - Risk Treatment:Objective: To summarize all studied risks and define a risk treatment strategy.Activities: Breaking down the risk treatment strategy into security measures, which are incorporated into a continuous improvement plan.Outcome: Establishment of the summary of residual risks and the framework for monitoring these risks.
• Each workshop builds upon the findings of the previous one, ensuring a comprehensive and iterative approach to risk management. This structured process allows organizations to effectively identify, analyze, and manage digital risks in a manner that is both systematic and aligned with broader cybersecurity and risk management frameworks.

Comprehensive Risk Assessment:

The method identifies digital risks, from strategic to operational levels, and establishes a security baseline. This comprehensive risk assessment is essential for organizations looking to comply with NIS 2, which emphasizes a broad view of network and information security risks.

Alignment with Standards and Regulations:

EBIOS Risk Manager is compatible with various risk management standards, including ISO31000 and ISO/IEC 27000 series, making it an effective tool for organizations seeking ISO27001 certification.

Adaptable to Various Organizational Contexts:

The framework applies to public and private organizations of any size, sector, and maturity level in cybersecurity. This adaptability is particularly valuable for organizations navigating the complex requirements of the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) in the financial sector.

Decision-Making and Communication Support:

EBIOS Risk Manager provides resources and arguments that are beneficial for internal communication and decision-making. This aspect is crucial for meeting the governance requirements of NIS 2 and ISO27001, emphasizing the importance of management commitment and stakeholder communication in effective risk management.

In conclusion, EBIOS Risk Manager's structured, flexible, and comprehensive approach makes it a valuable tool for organizations aiming to meet the stringent requirements of cybersecurity regulations like NIS 2, DORA, and ISO27001. By adopting EBIOS Risk Manager, organizations can enhance their cybersecurity posture and align their risk management practices with international standards and regulatory expectations.