ISO/IEC 27001 : Information Security Controls Explained

This course explains the Information Security Controls of ISO/IEC 27001 Annex A. Annex A of ISO 27001 is probably the most famous annex of all the ISO standards – this is because it provides an essential tool for managing information security risks: a list of security controls (or safeguards) that are to be used to improve the security of information assets.

This course will provide you with an understanding of how Annex A is structured. We will go through all the 114 security controls with easy to understand examples.

Annex A is composed of  14 sections:

• A.5 Information security policies – controls on how the policies are written and reviewed

• A.6 Organization of information security – controls on how the responsibilities are assigned;

• A.7 Human resources security – controls prior to employment, during, and after the employment

• A.8 Asset management – controls related to inventory of assets and acceptable use; also for information classification and media handling

• A.9 Access control – controls for the management of access rights of users, systems and applications, and for the management of user responsibilities

• A.10 Cryptography – controls related to encryption and key management

• A.11 Physical and environmental security – controls defining secure areas, entry controls, protection against threats, equipment security, secure disposal, Clear Desk and Clear Screen Policy, etc.

• A.12 Operational security – lots of controls related to the management of IT production: change management, capacity management, malware, backup, logging, monitoring, installation, vulnerabilities, etc.

• A.13 Communications security – controls related to network security, segregation, network services, transfer of information, messaging, etc.

• A.14 System acquisition, development and maintenance – controls defining security requirements, and security in development and support processes

• A.15 Supplier relationships – controls on what to include in agreements, and how to monitor the suppliers

• A.16 Information security incident management – controls for reporting events and weaknesses, defining responsibilities, response procedures, and collection of evidence

• A.17 Information security aspects of business continuity management – controls requiring the planning of business continuity, procedures, verification and reviewing, and IT redundancy

• A.18 Compliance – controls requiring the identification of applicable laws and regulations, intellectual property protection, personal data protection, and reviews of information security