compliance-testing
Regulatory compliance testing for GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA, SOC2, PCI-DSS and industry-specific regulations. Use when ensuring legal compliance, preparing for audits, or handling sensitive data.
What this skill does
# Compliance Testing
<default_to_action>
When validating regulatory compliance:
1. IDENTIFY applicable regulations (GDPR, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, etc.)
2. MAP requirements to testable controls
3. TEST data rights (access, erasure, portability)
4. VERIFY encryption and access logging
5. GENERATE audit-ready reports with evidence
**Quick Compliance Checklist:**
- Data subject rights work (access, delete, export)
- PII is encrypted at rest and in transit
- Access to sensitive data is logged
- Consent is tracked with timestamps
- Payment card data not stored (only tokenized)
**Critical Success Factors:**
- Non-compliance = €20M or 4% revenue (GDPR)
- Audit trail everything
- Test continuously, not just before audits
</default_to_action>
## Quick Reference Card
### When to Use
- Legal compliance requirements
- Before security audits
- Handling PII/PHI/PCI data
- Entering new markets (EU, CA, healthcare)
### Major Regulations
| Regulation | Scope | Key Focus |
|------------|-------|-----------|
| **GDPR** | EU data | Privacy rights, consent |
| **CCPA** | California | Consumer data rights |
| **HIPAA** | Healthcare | PHI protection |
| **PCI-DSS** | Payments | Card data security |
| **SOC2** | SaaS | Security controls |
### Penalties
| Regulation | Maximum Fine |
|------------|--------------|
| **GDPR** | €20M or 4% revenue |
| **HIPAA** | $1.5M per violation |
| **PCI-DSS** | $100k/month |
| **CCPA** | $7,500 per violation |
---
## GDPR Compliance Testing
```javascript
// Test data subject rights
test('user can request their data', async () => {
const response = await api.post('/data-export', { userId });
expect(response.status).toBe(200);
expect(response.data.downloadUrl).toBeDefined();
const data = await downloadFile(response.data.downloadUrl);
expect(data).toHaveProperty('profile');
expect(data).toHaveProperty('orders');
});
test('user can delete their account', async () => {
await api.delete(`/users/${userId}`);
// All personal data deleted
expect(await db.users.findOne({ id: userId })).toBeNull();
expect(await db.orders.find({ userId })).toHaveLength(0);
// Audit log retained (legal requirement)
expect(await db.auditLogs.find({ userId })).toBeDefined();
});
test('consent is tracked', async () => {
await api.post('/consent', {
userId, type: 'marketing', granted: true,
timestamp: new Date(), ipAddress: '192.168.1.1'
});
const consent = await db.consents.findOne({ userId, type: 'marketing' });
expect(consent.timestamp).toBeDefined();
expect(consent.ipAddress).toBeDefined();
});
```
---
## HIPAA Compliance Testing
```javascript
// Test PHI security
test('PHI is encrypted at rest', async () => {
const patient = await db.patients.create({
ssn: '123-45-6789',
medicalHistory: 'Diabetes'
});
const raw = await db.raw('SELECT * FROM patients WHERE id = ?', patient.id);
expect(raw.ssn).not.toBe('123-45-6789'); // Should be encrypted
});
test('access to PHI is logged', async () => {
await api.get('/patients/123', {
headers: { 'User-Id': 'doctor456' }
});
const auditLog = await db.auditLogs.findOne({
resourceType: 'patient',
resourceId: '123',
userId: 'doctor456'
});
expect(auditLog.action).toBe('read');
expect(auditLog.timestamp).toBeDefined();
});
```
---
## PCI-DSS Compliance Testing
```javascript
// Test payment card handling
test('credit card numbers not stored', async () => {
await api.post('/payment', {
cardNumber: '4242424242424242',
expiry: '12/25', cvv: '123'
});
const payment = await db.payments.findOne({ /* ... */ });
expect(payment.cardNumber).toBeUndefined();
expect(payment.last4).toBe('4242'); // Only last 4
expect(payment.tokenId).toBeDefined(); // Token from gateway
});
test('CVV never stored', async () => {
const payments = await db.raw('SELECT * FROM payments');
const hasCVV = payments.some(p =>
JSON.stringify(p).toLowerCase().includes('cvv')
);
expect(hasCVV).toBe(false);
});
```
---
## Agent-Driven Compliance
```typescript
// Comprehensive compliance validation
await Task("Compliance Validation", {
regulations: ['GDPR', 'PCI-DSS'],
scope: 'full-application',
generateAuditReport: true
}, "qe-security-scanner");
// Returns:
// {
// gdpr: { compliant: true, controls: 12, passed: 12 },
// pciDss: { compliant: false, controls: 8, passed: 7 },
// violations: [{ control: 'card-storage', severity: 'critical' }],
// auditReport: 'compliance-audit-2025-12-02.pdf'
// }
```
---
## Agent Coordination Hints
### Memory Namespace
```
aqe/compliance-testing/
├── regulations/* - Regulation requirements
├── controls/* - Control test results
├── audit-reports/* - Generated audit reports
└── violations/* - Compliance violations
```
### Fleet Coordination
```typescript
const complianceFleet = await FleetManager.coordinate({
strategy: 'compliance-validation',
agents: [
'qe-security-scanner', // Scan for vulnerabilities
'qe-test-executor', // Execute compliance tests
'qe-quality-gate' // Block non-compliant releases
],
topology: 'sequential'
});
```
---
## Related Skills
- [security-testing](../security-testing/) - Security vulnerabilities
- [test-data-management](../test-data-management/) - PII handling
- [accessibility-testing](../accessibility-testing/) - Legal requirements
---
## Remember
**Compliance is mandatory, not optional.** Fines are severe: GDPR up to €20M or 4% of revenue, HIPAA up to $1.5M per violation. But beyond fines, non-compliance damages reputation and user trust.
**Audit trail everything.** Every access to sensitive data, every consent, every deletion must be logged with timestamps and user IDs.
**With Agents:** Agents validate compliance requirements continuously, detect violations early, and generate audit-ready reports. Catch compliance issues in development, not in audits.
## Gotchas
- Agent checks GDPR consent flow but misses data retention — always verify deletion/anonymization actually works
- Compliance reports with "100% compliant" are suspicious — no real system is fully compliant, verify each claim
- Agent may test US regulations only — explicitly specify jurisdiction (EU, CA, etc.) for correct requirements
- PII in test data is itself a compliance violation — never use production PII, use synthetic generators
- Audit trail gaps are invisible until audit time — verify logging exists for EVERY data access, not just writes
Related in specialized-testing
security-testing
IncludedScans for security vulnerabilities including XSS, SQL injection, CSRF, and auth flaws using OWASP Top 10 methodology. Use when conducting SAST/DAST scans, auditing authentication flows, testing authorization rules, or implementing security test automation.
mutation-testing
IncludedTest quality validation through mutation testing, assessing test suite effectiveness by introducing code mutations and measuring kill rate. Use when evaluating test quality, identifying weak tests, or proving tests actually catch bugs.
performance-testing
IncludedProfiles application performance under load using k6, Artillery, or JMeter to measure latency, throughput, and error rates. Use when planning load tests, stress tests, soak tests, benchmarking APIs, or identifying performance bottlenecks.
accessibility-testing
IncludedWCAG 2.2 compliance testing, screen reader validation, and inclusive design verification. Use when ensuring legal compliance (ADA, Section 508), testing for disabilities, or building accessible applications for 1 billion disabled users globally.
a11y-ally
IncludedUse when running comprehensive WCAG accessibility audits with axe-core + pa11y + Lighthouse, generating context-aware remediation, or testing video accessibility. Supports 3-tier browser cascade with graceful degradation.
chaos-engineering-resilience
IncludedChaos engineering principles, controlled failure injection, resilience testing, and system recovery validation. Use when testing distributed systems, building confidence in fault tolerance, or validating disaster recovery.