Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP) Practice Exam

Which act is associated with protected health information in cloud computing?

1. HIPAA

2. EU GDPR

3. SOX

4. SOC 2

The correct answer is: HIPAA

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is fundamentally linked to the protection of health information, particularly in the context of cloud computing. HIPAA establishes national standards for the protection of sensitive patient health information, known as Protected Health Information (PHI). When healthcare organizations engage cloud service providers to store or process PHI, those providers must comply with HIPAA mandates. This includes implementing security measures to safeguard that information against unauthorized access, ensuring data integrity, and providing patients rights regarding their health data. In the context of cloud computing, compliance with HIPAA requires that entities conduct risk assessments and establish Business Associate Agreements (BAAs) with cloud service vendors. These agreements hold the vendors accountable for maintaining the privacy and security of PHI, thereby aligning with the stringent regulations set forth by HIPAA. The other acts mentioned, while significant in their respective domains, do not directly pertain to the handling of protected health information in a healthcare context. The EU GDPR focuses on the protection of personal data within the European Union, SOX pertains to financial reporting and corporate governance, and SOC 2 is about vendor management, focusing on data security for service organizations, but does not specifically address health information. Thus, HIPAA is the act that specifically governs