Introduction:
In today’s digital age, networks play a critical role in almost all businesses.
As such, organizations must ensure the security and protection of their networks to safeguard their data and systems from cyber threats.
The ISO/IEC 27001 standard provides guidance on the implementation of network security controls to prevent unauthorized access to network services, protect network services from threats, and ensure the availability and confidentiality of network services.
In this article, we will explore the ISO/IEC 27001 standard’s control A.13.1.2, which covers the security of network services.
We will provide a checklist to help organizations implement this control and ensure that their network services are secure.
Sample Checklist:
Secure management of information services:
- Check that access to information services is restricted to authorized personnel only.
- Verify that authentication mechanisms are in place to ensure that only authorized personnel have access to information services.
- Ensure that passwords are strong and are changed regularly.
- Verify that access to information services is logged, and logs are reviewed regularly.
Monitoring of network services:
- Verify that monitoring mechanisms are in place to detect and respond to network security incidents.
- Check that network devices are configured to log events and alarms.
- Ensure that logs are stored securely and reviewed regularly.
Right to audit as part of the contract in case of managed network services by a third party:
- Verify that contracts with third-party providers of network services include provisions for audits.
- Ensure that service level agreements (SLAs) and management reporting requirements are in place to monitor the performance of third-party providers.
Authentication on the network, plus encryption and network connection controls:
- Verify that all users are authenticated before being allowed to access network services.
- Check that encryption mechanisms are in place to protect sensitive data in transit.
- Ensure that network connection controls are in place to restrict access to authorized personnel only.
Periodic review of technical parameters, firewall rule review, IDS/IPS signatures, etc.:
- Ensure that technical parameters, firewall rules, and IDS/IPS signatures are reviewed regularly.
- Check that changes to technical parameters, firewall rules, and IDS/IPS signatures are properly documented and approved by authorized personnel.
- Verify that testing and validation procedures are in place to ensure that changes do not impact network services negatively.
Conclusion:
The security of network services is critical to the protection of an organization’s data and systems.
Implementing control A.13.1.2 of the ISO/IEC 27001 standard can help organizations ensure the security and protection of their network services.
This checklist provides a starting point for organizations to implement this control and ensure that their network services are secure.
By following this checklist, organizations can minimize the risk of cyber threats to their networks and ensure the availability and confidentiality of their network services.
