What aspect of cybersecurity describes actions taken to adhere to legal and ethical standards?

Compliance refers to the process of ensuring that an organization follows laws, regulations, and ethical standards relevant to its industry. In cybersecurity, this encompasses adhering to various legal requirements such as data protection laws, privacy regulations, and industry-specific standards. Organizations often implement specific policies and procedures to avoid legal repercussions and to maintain public trust.

By focusing on compliance, organizations can also ensure that they meet the necessary security requirements to protect sensitive data and avoid breaches that could lead to significant financial and reputational damage. Furthermore, compliance goes hand in hand with risk management, as meeting legal requirements directly mitigates the risk of penalties and legal action.

Other concepts such as liability involve the responsibilities of individuals or organizations in the event of a breach or incident. Governance typically refers to the overall framework for managing an organization's strategic direction and ensuring that it meets its objectives, which includes compliance as one of its components. Management is broader and focuses on the execution and administration of organizational processes, but it does not specifically address the legal and ethical standards in the same way compliance does.