Introduction:
Secure software development has become a crucial aspect of protecting sensitive information and maintaining the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of systems.
Information security management standard, ISO 27001, contains several controls related to secure software development.
A.14.2.6 is one such control that pertains to the creation of a secure development environment.
This article will focus on A.14.2.6 and provide a sample checklist that can be used to assess the implementation of this control.
Sample Checklist:
- Are development, testing, and production environments separated, and are there controls in place to ensure that software is not released into the production environment without proper testing?
- Are developers and testers required to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) to protect the confidentiality of sensitive information?
- Are background checks performed on developers and testers to ensure they have no history of cybercrime or malicious activities?
- Is there a documented process for secure software development, and are all stakeholders, including developers, testers, and management, aware of the process?
- Is there a clear definition of the applicable regulations and compliance requirements for software development, and are all stakeholders aware of these requirements?
- Are test data derived from production data, and if not, what measures are in place to ensure that test data do not contain sensitive information?
- Are test data protected against unauthorized access, disclosure, or theft?
- Is there a system in place to monitor and detect unauthorized access to the development environment, and are logs regularly reviewed?
- Is there a clear process for security checks and approvals of software code before it is released to production?
- Are all software releases properly documented, including details of the changes made, testing results, and approvals?
Conclusion:
Creating a secure development environment is an essential aspect of secure software development.
Organizations need to ensure that they have proper controls in place to prevent unauthorized access, protect sensitive information, and adhere to regulatory and compliance requirements.
By using the sample checklist provided in this article, organizations can assess their implementation of A.14.2.6 and identify areas that need improvement.
It is recommended that organizations regularly review their development environment’s security controls to ensure they are up to date and effective in protecting their systems and data.
