More Standards, More Security? Think Again.

In the beginning, there were no IT security standards. Then came the first security incidents. Naturally, organizations responded by introducing rules and best practices.

Fast forward to today, and we have an alphabet soup of security frameworks, compliance requirements, and certification schemes – all of which promise to keep us safe. Yet somehow, cyberattacks, ransomware, and data breaches are more common than ever.

Coincidence? We think not.

The Business of Security Standards – Why "Best Practices" Never End

Ever wondered why new standards keep appearing? Why ISO 27001:2013 had to be replaced by ISO 27001:2022? Why PCI DSS 4.0 was "urgently needed" after PCI DSS 3.2? Why every security framework gets a revision every few years?

Simple: Because if security ever reached its final form, an entire industry would collapse.

👉 A new standard is introduced.
👉 Organizations scramble to comply.
👉 Consultants, auditors, and software vendors profit.
👉 A new version is released, rendering previous investments obsolete.
👉 Repeat indefinitely.

Security never improves, but the compliance cycle keeps turning.

The Major Security Standards – A Brief (and Honest) Overview

🔹 ISO 27001 – Teaches you how to document security policies. Does not prevent a single attack.
🔹 PCI DSS – Ensures that when fraud happens, it’s someone else’s problem.
🔹 NIST CSF – A framework designed by the U.S. government, yet even they still get hacked.
🔹 COBIT & ITIL – Great for governance. Less great for stopping ransomware.
🔹 TISAX – Because the automotive industry needed its own way to complicate security.
🔹 GDPR – Protects personal data by making it illegal to mishandle – but does not prevent leaks.
🔹 Zero Trust Architecture – The latest buzzword for a concept that security professionals have been talking about for decades.

Compliance vs. Security – The Ultimate Misdirection

Companies spend millions to meet compliance requirements. But does compliance equal security? Not at all.

✔ You can be fully compliant and still get hacked.
✔ You can fail an audit but still be secure.
✔ You can follow every standard and still be the weakest link.

Because security isn’t about frameworks – it’s about mindset.

The Only Secure System? The One That Doesn’t Exist.

Want true security? Don’t connect to the internet. Don’t store data. Don’t have users.

For everyone else? Welcome to the endless cycle of security standards, where the only thing truly evolving is the size of the compliance budget.

Read more at Security-Management.org while you still can.