SOX: Sarbanes-Oxley Act in Cybersecurity

Compliance
ByDecipherU Editorial
How is it pronounced?
sox/sɒks/

Like the sock plural.

SOX stands for Sarbanes-Oxley Act. SOX is the U.S. federal law enacted in 2002 that requires publicly traded companies to maintain internal controls over financial reporting. Section 404 mandates that IT systems supporting financial data have documented and tested security controls.

How SOX Is Used in Cybersecurity

GRC analysts design and test IT general controls (ITGCs) for SOX compliance, covering access management, change management, and backup procedures. Security engineers implement segregation of duties, audit logging, and access reviews on financial systems. SOX audits run annually and require close coordination between cybersecurity, IT, and finance teams.

Cybersecurity Roles That Work with SOX

Related Cybersecurity Acronyms

Frequently asked questions

What does SOX stand for?

SOX stands for Sarbanes-Oxley Act. SOX is the U.S. federal law enacted in 2002 that requires publicly traded companies to maintain internal controls over financial reporting. Section 404 mandates that IT systems supporting financial data have documented and tested security controls.

What is SOX used for in cybersecurity?

GRC analysts design and test IT general controls (ITGCs) for SOX compliance, covering access management, change management, and backup procedures. Security engineers implement segregation of duties, audit logging, and access reviews on financial systems. SOX audits run annually and require close coordination between cybersecurity, IT, and finance teams.

Last verified: April 2026?Report an inaccuracy