Introduction:
In today’s world, information security has become a top priority for organizations. With the increase in cyber threats, it is essential to have strong information security policies, described in A.5.1.2 in place to protect sensitive information.
ISO/IEC 27001 is a standard that provides a framework for an Information Security Management System (ISMS). One of the essential requirements of ISO 27001 is to regularly review and update information security policies.
The article “Checklist for ISO/IEC 27001 – A.5.1.2 Review of the policies for information security” will discuss the process for reviewing information security policies and provide a sample checklist for evaluating policies.
A.5.1.2 Review of the policies for information security:
A.5.1.2 of the ISO 27001 standard requires organizations to evaluate the process for reviewing information security and related policies.
This involves checking a sample of policies for details such as policy title, scope and applicability, status, names of authors and accountable owners, version numbers, dates of publication, who approved them, document history/date of last and next reviews, and associated compliance arrangements.
Sample Checklist for ISO/IEC A.5.1.2:
- Policy Title: Are policy titles clear and concise, and do they accurately reflect the policy’s content?
- Evidence could include a comparison of policy titles against the policy’s actual content to determine if they accurately reflect the policy’s purpose.
- The evidence could be in the form of a checklist or template that provides guidelines for developing clear and concise policy titles.
- Scope and Applicability: Are policy scope and applicability clearly defined, and do they align with the organization’s objectives and information security risks?
- Evidence could include a comparison of policy scope and applicability against the organization’s objectives and information security risks.
- This could involve reviewing risk assessments and other documents that inform the development of the policy.
- Status: Is the policy in draft, authorized, superseded, or withdrawn status? If the policy is no longer in use, has it been appropriately archived?
- Evidence could include a review of the organization’s policy management system, including how policies are tracked and archived.
- This could involve reviewing policy change logs or other records that track the status of policies over time.
- Authors and Accountable Owners: Are the policy authors and accountable owners identified, and do they have the necessary authority and expertise to develop and maintain the policy?
- Evidence could include an assessment of the authors’ and accountable owners’ qualifications and expertise.
- This could involve reviewing their job descriptions or resumes and conducting interviews to confirm their knowledge and experience.
- Version Numbers: Are version numbers used to track policy changes, and is there a clear version control process in place?
- Evidence could include a review of the organization’s policy version control process.
- This could involve reviewing policies to ensure that version numbers are used consistently and accurately and checking that the organization has a documented process for managing policy versions.
- Dates of Publication: Are the policy publication dates recorded, and are they up to date?
- Evidence could include a review of the organization’s policy management system to confirm that publication dates are recorded and up-to-date.
- This could involve reviewing the metadata of the policy document or the policy management system to confirm the publication date.
- Approvals: Who approved the policy (e.g. Security Committee or an equivalent management body), and is evidence of approval available?
- Evidence could include a review of the organization’s approval process for policies.
- This could involve reviewing meeting minutes or other records that document the approval process and confirm that evidence of approval is available.
- Document History/Date of Last and Next Reviews: Is the document history available, and is the next review date clearly stated?
- vidence could include a review of the organization’s policy management system to confirm that document history is available and up-to-date.
- This could involve reviewing the policy document or the policy management system to confirm the date of the last review and the next scheduled review date.
- Compliance Arrangements: Are there any associated compliance arrangements (e.g. legal or regulatory requirements), and are they up to date?
- Evidence could include a review of the organization’s compliance arrangements.
- This could involve reviewing policies and other documents that detail the organization’s compliance obligations and reviewing reports or audits that confirm compliance with legal or regulatory requirements.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, regularly reviewing information security policies is a critical requirement for organizations to protect sensitive information from cyber threats.
By evaluating the process for reviewing information security policies and using a sample checklist, organizations can ensure that their policies are up to date, aligned with organizational objectives and information security risks, and comply with legal and regulatory requirements.
By identifying issues and improvement opportunities, organizations can continuously improve their information security policies to protect their valuable assets.
See all articles for ISO/IEC 27001 Annex A here
