An ISO control is a safeguard or countermeasure that an organization implements through policies, processes, and procedures to meet the security requirements defined within ISO standards, such as ISO 27001. These controls are designed to mitigate risks and protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information.
In the context of ISO 27001, these controls are specifically detailed in Annex A of the standard. Annex A lists 114 controls (subject to updates in later versions of the standard) grouped into 14 domains. Organizations are not required to implement all controls; instead, they perform a risk assessment to determine which controls are necessary and appropriate for their specific context.
Here's a breakdown of what that means:
- Safeguards/Countermeasures: Controls are actions or mechanisms put in place to reduce risk.
- Policies, Processes, and Procedures: Controls are implemented formally through documented policies, well-defined processes, and step-by-step procedures. This ensures consistency and accountability.
- Security Requirements: These are the specific security objectives an organization needs to achieve to protect its information assets.
- Risk Mitigation: Controls are directly related to reducing identified risks. The goal is to bring the level of risk down to an acceptable level for the organization.
Examples of ISO 27001 Controls
While Annex A lists many controls, here are a few examples to illustrate the concept:
- Access Control: Restricting access to information and systems to authorized users only. This can involve implementing strong passwords, multi-factor authentication, and role-based access controls.
- Physical Security: Protecting physical assets like servers and data centers from unauthorized access, damage, and theft. This can involve security guards, surveillance systems, and environmental controls.
- Incident Management: Having procedures in place to detect, respond to, and recover from security incidents. This includes incident reporting, investigation, and containment measures.
- Data Backup: Regularly backing up data to prevent data loss in the event of a system failure, disaster, or cyberattack.
How ISO Controls are Implemented
- Risk Assessment: Identify assets, threats, and vulnerabilities.
- Selection of Controls: Choose the appropriate controls from Annex A (or other sources) to address the identified risks, as documented in the Statement of Applicability (SoA).
- Implementation: Develop and implement the chosen controls through policies, processes, and procedures.
- Monitoring and Review: Regularly monitor the effectiveness of the implemented controls and make adjustments as needed.
- Continual Improvement: Continuously improve the information security management system (ISMS) and the effectiveness of the controls.
In summary, ISO controls are the practical steps an organization takes to protect its information assets by addressing identified risks according to frameworks like ISO 27001. They are not just theoretical concepts but must be actively implemented and maintained to ensure ongoing security.
