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Privacy Radar • Operational Review Playbook

Privacy Risk Exposure Review

A structured method to triage risk, benchmark controls, and quantify regulatory exposure using the Privacy Risk Radar dashboard.

Open Privacy Radar View 4‑Week Plan
Severity triage Breach intelligence Control benchmarking Regulatory exposure

Methodology by dashboard tab

Run the review in five phases that map directly to the Privacy Risk Radar experience.

Phase 1

Initial Risk Assessment (Overview Tab)

  • Start with the Dashboard Overview
  • Review the 6 key metrics at the top
  • Identify immediate red flags (Critical Breaches: 8, Records Exposed: 276M)
  • Note industry benchmarks for context
  • Risk Severity Triage
  • Focus first on "Critical Breaches" and "Records Exposed" metrics
  • These indicate the current threat landscape your organization faces
Phase 2

Active Risk Analysis (Active Risks Tab)

  • STEP 1: Review All Current Risks — Start with "All Severities" and "All Categories" to get the complete picture of exposure
  • STEP 2: Priority Risk Identification — Filter by "Critical" severity first; focus on risks with "increasing" trends; note data subjects affected (impact scale)
  • STEP 3: Category-Specific Deep Dive — Filter by category: Data Sharing, Consent, Data Storage; each category represents different regulatory exposure
Phase 3

Intelligence Gathering (Breach Intelligence Tab)

  • Review similar industry breaches
  • Identify common attack vectors
  • Assess data types typically compromised
  • Note regulatory enforcement patterns
  • Key questions: Are we vulnerable to the same attack vectors? Do we process similar data types? Are our controls stronger than breached organizations? What would be our exposure if we suffered a similar breach?
Phase 4

Control Effectiveness (Privacy Metrics Tab)

  • Benchmark your controls (examples): NIST CSF 2.0 Coverage: 67% (industry average); HIPAA Compliance: 78% (benchmark); Vendor Risk Assessment: 52% (critical gap); Medical Device Security: 43% (major weakness)
  • Red flags to investigate: Scores below 70% = immediate attention needed; Vendor Risk Assessment at 52% = supply chain vulnerability; Medical Device Security at 43% = IoT/IoMT exposure
Phase 5

Regulatory Exposure (Regulatory Actions Tab)

  • Review recent fines by regulator type
  • Identify violation patterns in your industry
  • Calculate potential financial exposure
  • Map violations to your current controls
  • Financial risk examples: Meta €1.2B for data transfers = €6.32 per user; TikTok €345M for children's privacy = €1,917 per child; use these ratios to estimate your potential exposure

4‑week review process

A practical cadence for moving from discovery to executive reporting.

Week 1: Data Collection & Initial Assessment

Day 1–2: Baseline Assessment
  • Run initial scan using "Refresh Data" button
  • Document all critical and high-severity risks
  • Screenshot dashboard metrics for executive reporting
Day 3–4: Breach Intelligence Analysis
  • Filter breaches by your industry sector
  • Identify top 3 most relevant breach scenarios
  • Map breach attack vectors to your environment
Day 5: Control Gap Analysis
  • Compare your metrics to industry benchmarks
  • Identify scores below 70% for immediate action
  • Document control deficiencies

Week 2: Deep Dive Risk Analysis

Day 1–2: Category-Specific Reviews
  • Data Sharing: Focus on vendor/third-party risks
  • Consent: Review cookie and marketing practices
  • Data Storage: Assess encryption and access controls
  • Access Rights: Evaluate subject request processes
Day 3–4: Regulatory Mapping
  • Map your violations to recent enforcement actions
  • Calculate financial exposure using actual fine ratios
  • Identify highest-risk regulatory requirements
Day 5: Vendor Risk Assessment
  • Given 52% industry average, prioritize vendor reviews
  • Focus on vendors processing sensitive data
  • Review Business Associate Agreements

Weeks 3–4: Risk Treatment & Monitoring

Week 3: Risk Mitigation Planning
  • Prioritize risks by: Severity × Likelihood × Impact
  • Develop remediation plans for critical/high risks
  • Set up auto-refresh for continuous monitoring
Week 4: Executive Reporting
  • Create risk exposure summary dashboard
  • Present financial exposure calculations
  • Recommend budget for risk treatment
  • Establish ongoing monitoring procedures

Practical usage tips

Focus areas by role, using the same dashboard signal set.

Compliance Officers

Daily monitoring
  • Enable auto-refresh for real-time updates
  • Check for new critical breaches in your sector
  • Monitor regulatory action trends
Weekly reviews
  • Filter by "Critical" and "High" severities
  • Review vendor risk assessment coverage
  • Check for new privacy risks
Monthly reports
  • Export metrics for board reporting
  • Track improvement in compliance scores
  • Update risk register with new threats

CISOs

Technical focus areas
  • Medical Device Security: 43% (major gap)
  • Vendor Risk Assessment: 52% (supply chain)
  • Incident Response: 71% (improvement needed)
Immediate actions
  1. Address medical device security gaps
  2. Strengthen third-party risk management
  3. Improve incident response capabilities

Legal teams

Regulatory exposure analysis
  • Track enforcement patterns in your jurisdiction
  • Monitor fine calculation methodologies
  • Assess regulatory defense strategies
  • Update privacy policies based on recent actions
Litigation risk assessment
  • Review class action trends from major breaches
  • Assess insurance coverage adequacy
  • Update breach response procedures

Risk exposure calculation framework

Use the ratios and thresholds as a pragmatic starting point, then validate with counsel.

Financial impact modeling

GDPR exposure calculation
  • Revenue-based: up to 4% of annual global turnover
  • Administrative: up to €20M per violation
  • Use Meta ratio: €1.2B ÷ 3B users = €0.40 per user
HIPAA exposure calculation
  • Per violation: $100 – $50,000
  • Annual maximum: $1.5M per violation type
  • Use averages from actual settlements
CCPA exposure calculation
  • 2025 rates: $2,663 per unintentional violation
  • Intentional/minor violations: $7,988 per violation
  • Private actions: $107–$799 per consumer

Risk prioritization matrix

Critical priority (act within 30 days)
  • Cross-border data transfers without adequate protection
  • Medical device security gaps
  • Children's data processing without proper consent
High priority (act within 90 days)
  • Third-party vendor risk management gaps
  • Cookie consent mechanism violations
  • Incident response readiness below 70%
Medium priority (act within 6 months)
  • Access control implementation gaps
  • Data retention policy enforcement
  • Employee privacy training completion
Recommended cadence
Repeat monthly; report quarterly
The value is consistency: run the same workflow, track trend direction, and show measurable improvement on the few metrics that matter most.