Cybersecurity regulations most commonly focus on the protection of personal data, because misuse or exposure can directly harm individuals through identity theft, fraud, discrimination, or loss of privacy. Privacy and data-protection laws typically require organizations to implement appropriate safeguards to protect personal information across its lifecycle, including collection, storage, processing, sharing, and disposal. In cybersecurity governance documentation, this obligation is often expressed through requirements to maintain confidentiality and integrity of personal data, limit access based on business need, and ensure accountability through logging, monitoring, and audits.

Demonstrating protection of personal data generally includes having a documented data classification scheme, clearly defined lawful purposes for processing, retention limits, and secure handling procedures. Technical controls commonly expected include strong authentication, least privilege and role-based access control, encryption for data at rest and in transit, secure key management, endpoint and server hardening, vulnerability management, and continuous monitoring for suspicious activity. Operational capabilities such as incident response, breach detection, and timely notification processes are also emphasized because regulators expect organizations to manage and report material data exposures appropriately.

While protecting applications, intellectual property, and ensuring continuity are important security objectives, they are not the primary focus of many cybersecurity regulations in the same consistent way as personal data protection. Therefore, the best answer is personal data of customers and employees.