Article 10 of the GDPR restricts the processing of personal data relating to criminal convictions and offences, or related security measures. In practice, this means data that may suggest fraud, abuse, theft, unauthorized access, or other criminal conduct needs a stronger legal basis and tighter safeguards than ordinary personal data. Organizations cannot treat these records as routine support tickets or normal user data.
In cyber security, Article 10 often appears in incident logs, abuse reports, fraud-monitoring systems, background checks, and investigations that name a person as a suspect or offender. Defenders must limit access, define retention periods, and document why the data is needed. Attackers can also exploit weak handling of this information by exposing sensitive allegations through misconfigured storage, overbroad sharing, or poor access control. For security teams, Article 10 is a reminder that lawful collection is only the start; secure governance and strict need-to-know handling are just as important.