Annex A 6.1 of ISO 27001:2022 outlines the background checks required for employees and selected suppliers before they join the organisation.
Annex A 6.1 emphasises the importance of a proportionate approach to verification checks linked to the organisation’s unique requirements, as well as all relevant laws, regulations and ethical standards that the organisation adheres to, no matter where they operate.
Organisations should consider the type of information that employees/suppliers will come into contact with as part of their job roles, as well as the associated risks.
In ISO 27001:2022 Annex A 6.1, a screening process for full-time, part-time, casual/temporary staff and suppliers is established to ensure that information is only accessible to fit and proper people. Verification of employment is usually conducted before a person begins their job.
Annex A 6.1 should therefore be owned by the HR manager within the organisation.
The following checks should be included in screening activities:
It is common practice for background checks to collect, process and transfer personally identifiable information and protected characteristics (UK law). Therefore, wherever an organisation operates, it should adhere strictly to any prevailing employment legislation.
In most cases, this involves informing the candidate of the screening process (including what data is being processed and how it will be used) before the verification process begins.
It is essential that screening procedures clearly outline the personnel responsible for carrying out the screening on behalf of the organisation and why screening is being conducted in the first place.
The requirement for screening suppliers should be included in all contractual agreements before services are provided.
An organisation should ensure that once an employee/supplier has been vetted and hired, they have the capability to perform their duties as advertised, as well as have proven to be trustworthy, especially if their role includes any information security-related tasks.
In Annex A 6.1, organisations are given considerable flexibility in determining the circumstances for initiating enhanced vetting controls.
No distinction should be made between new employees or existing employees who have been promoted to roles with greater responsibility. Such procedures should be determined job by job. Enhanced screening is required for positions that deal with information processing on a daily basis (e.g. HR) or that handle or process personal information, financial information, or any other types of sensitive information.
Any organisation that employs personnel in critical roles should also consider ways to verify their ongoing suitability.
Sometimes screening cannot be completed in a timely manner (urgent hires, third-party delays, etc.).
An organisation should consider alternative courses of action when an unscreened member of staff is hired, including:
ISO 27001:2022 Annex A 6.1 contains the same essential guidance points as 27001:2013 Annex A 7.1.1 regarding what information must be verified before an employee/supplier is hired (references, CVs, identities, etc.).
Additionally, ISO 27001:2022 Annex A 6.1 provides additional guidance on how organisations should deal with incomplete verifications, including potential termination.
In the table below you’ll find more information on each individual ISO 27001:2022 Annex A Control.
| Annex A Control Type | ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A Identifier | ISO/IEC 27001:2013 Annex A Identifier | Annex A Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Organisational Controls | Annex A 5.1 | Annex A 5.1.1 Annex A 5.1.2 | Policies for Information Security |
| Organisational Controls | Annex A 5.2 | Annex A 6.1.1 | Information Security Roles and Responsibilities |
| Organisational Controls | Annex A 5.3 | Annex A 6.1.2 | Segregation of Duties |
| Organisational Controls | Annex A 5.4 | Annex A 7.2.1 | Management Responsibilities |
| Organisational Controls | Annex A 5.5 | Annex A 6.1.3 | Contact With Authorities |
| Organisational Controls | Annex A 5.6 | Annex A 6.1.4 | Contact With Special Interest Groups |
| Organisational Controls | Annex A 5.7 | NEW | Threat Intelligence |
| Organisational Controls | Annex A 5.8 | Annex A 6.1.5 Annex A 14.1.1 | Information Security in Project Management |
| Organisational Controls | Annex A 5.9 | Annex A 8.1.1 Annex A 8.1.2 | Inventory of Information and Other Associated Assets |
| Organisational Controls | Annex A 5.10 | Annex A 8.1.3 Annex A 8.2.3 | Acceptable Use of Information and Other Associated Assets |
| Organisational Controls | Annex A 5.11 | Annex A 8.1.4 | Return of Assets |
| Organisational Controls | Annex A 5.12 | Annex A 8.2.1 | Classification of Information |
| Organisational Controls | Annex A 5.13 | Annex A 8.2.2 | Labelling of Information |
| Organisational Controls | Annex A 5.14 | Annex A 13.2.1 Annex A 13.2.2 Annex A 13.2.3 | Information Transfer |
| Organisational Controls | Annex A 5.15 | Annex A 9.1.1 Annex A 9.1.2 | Access Control |
| Organisational Controls | Annex A 5.16 | Annex A 9.2.1 | Identity Management |
| Organisational Controls | Annex A 5.17 | Annex A 9.2.4 Annex A 9.3.1 Annex A 9.4.3 | Authentication Information |
| Organisational Controls | Annex A 5.18 | Annex A 9.2.2 Annex A 9.2.5 Annex A 9.2.6 | Access Rights |
| Organisational Controls | Annex A 5.19 | Annex A 15.1.1 | Information Security in Supplier Relationships |
| Organisational Controls | Annex A 5.20 | Annex A 15.1.2 | Addressing Information Security Within Supplier Agreements |
| Organisational Controls | Annex A 5.21 | Annex A 15.1.3 | Managing Information Security in the ICT Supply Chain |
| Organisational Controls | Annex A 5.22 | Annex A 15.2.1 Annex A 15.2.2 | Monitoring, Review and Change Management of Supplier Services |
| Organisational Controls | Annex A 5.23 | NEW | Information Security for Use of Cloud Services |
| Organisational Controls | Annex A 5.24 | Annex A 16.1.1 | Information Security Incident Management Planning and Preparation |
| Organisational Controls | Annex A 5.25 | Annex A 16.1.4 | Assessment and Decision on Information Security Events |
| Organisational Controls | Annex A 5.26 | Annex A 16.1.5 | Response to Information Security Incidents |
| Organisational Controls | Annex A 5.27 | Annex A 16.1.6 | Learning From Information Security Incidents |
| Organisational Controls | Annex A 5.28 | Annex A 16.1.7 | Collection of Evidence |
| Organisational Controls | Annex A 5.29 | Annex A 17.1.1 Annex A 17.1.2 Annex A 17.1.3 | Information Security During Disruption |
| Organisational Controls | Annex A 5.30 | NEW | ICT Readiness for Business Continuity |
| Organisational Controls | Annex A 5.31 | Annex A 18.1.1 Annex A 18.1.5 | Legal, Statutory, Regulatory and Contractual Requirements |
| Organisational Controls | Annex A 5.32 | Annex A 18.1.2 | Intellectual Property Rights |
| Organisational Controls | Annex A 5.33 | Annex A 18.1.3 | Protection of Records |
| Organisational Controls | Annex A 5.34 | Annex A 18.1.4 | Privacy and Protection of PII |
| Organisational Controls | Annex A 5.35 | Annex A 18.2.1 | Independent Review of Information Security |
| Organisational Controls | Annex A 5.36 | Annex A 18.2.2 Annex A 18.2.3 | Compliance With Policies, Rules and Standards for Information Security |
| Organisational Controls | Annex A 5.37 | Annex A 12.1.1 | Documented Operating Procedures |
| Annex A Control Type | ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A Identifier | ISO/IEC 27001:2013 Annex A Identifier | Annex A Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| People Controls | Annex A 6.1 | Annex A 7.1.1 | Screening |
| People Controls | Annex A 6.2 | Annex A 7.1.2 | Terms and Conditions of Employment |
| People Controls | Annex A 6.3 | Annex A 7.2.2 | Information Security Awareness, Education and Training |
| People Controls | Annex A 6.4 | Annex A 7.2.3 | Disciplinary Process |
| People Controls | Annex A 6.5 | Annex A 7.3.1 | Responsibilities After Termination or Change of Employment |
| People Controls | Annex A 6.6 | Annex A 13.2.4 | Confidentiality or Non-Disclosure Agreements |
| People Controls | Annex A 6.7 | Annex A 6.2.2 | Remote Working |
| People Controls | Annex A 6.8 | Annex A 16.1.2 Annex A 16.1.3 | Information Security Event Reporting |
| Annex A Control Type | ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A Identifier | ISO/IEC 27001:2013 Annex A Identifier | Annex A Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physical Controls | Annex A 7.1 | Annex A 11.1.1 | Physical Security Perimeters |
| Physical Controls | Annex A 7.2 | Annex A 11.1.2 Annex A 11.1.6 | Physical Entry |
| Physical Controls | Annex A 7.3 | Annex A 11.1.3 | Securing Offices, Rooms and Facilities |
| Physical Controls | Annex A 7.4 | NEW | Physical Security Monitoring |
| Physical Controls | Annex A 7.5 | Annex A 11.1.4 | Protecting Against Physical and Environmental Threats |
| Physical Controls | Annex A 7.6 | Annex A 11.1.5 | Working In Secure Areas |
| Physical Controls | Annex A 7.7 | Annex A 11.2.9 | Clear Desk and Clear Screen |
| Physical Controls | Annex A 7.8 | Annex A 11.2.1 | Equipment Siting and Protection |
| Physical Controls | Annex A 7.9 | Annex A 11.2.6 | Security of Assets Off-Premises |
| Physical Controls | Annex A 7.10 | Annex A 8.3.1 Annex A 8.3.2 Annex A 8.3.3 Annex A 11.2.5 | Storage Media |
| Physical Controls | Annex A 7.11 | Annex A 11.2.2 | Supporting Utilities |
| Physical Controls | Annex A 7.12 | Annex A 11.2.3 | Cabling Security |
| Physical Controls | Annex A 7.13 | Annex A 11.2.4 | Equipment Maintenance |
| Physical Controls | Annex A 7.14 | Annex A 11.2.7 | Secure Disposal or Re-Use of Equipment |
| Annex A Control Type | ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A Identifier | ISO/IEC 27001:2013 Annex A Identifier | Annex A Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technological Controls | Annex A 8.1 | Annex A 6.2.1 Annex A 11.2.8 | User Endpoint Devices |
| Technological Controls | Annex A 8.2 | Annex A 9.2.3 | Privileged Access Rights |
| Technological Controls | Annex A 8.3 | Annex A 9.4.1 | Information Access Restriction |
| Technological Controls | Annex A 8.4 | Annex A 9.4.5 | Access to Source Code |
| Technological Controls | Annex A 8.5 | Annex A 9.4.2 | Secure Authentication |
| Technological Controls | Annex A 8.6 | Annex A 12.1.3 | Capacity Management |
| Technological Controls | Annex A 8.7 | Annex A 12.2.1 | Protection Against Malware |
| Technological Controls | Annex A 8.8 | Annex A 12.6.1 Annex A 18.2.3 | Management of Technical Vulnerabilities |
| Technological Controls | Annex A 8.9 | NEW | Configuration Management |
| Technological Controls | Annex A 8.10 | NEW | Information Deletion |
| Technological Controls | Annex A 8.11 | NEW | Data Masking |
| Technological Controls | Annex A 8.12 | NEW | Data Leakage Prevention |
| Technological Controls | Annex A 8.13 | Annex A 12.3.1 | Information Backup |
| Technological Controls | Annex A 8.14 | Annex A 17.2.1 | Redundancy of Information Processing Facilities |
| Technological Controls | Annex A 8.15 | Annex A 12.4.1 Annex A 12.4.2 Annex A 12.4.3 | Logging |
| Technological Controls | Annex A 8.16 | NEW | Monitoring Activities |
| Technological Controls | Annex A 8.17 | Annex A 12.4.4 | Clock Synchronization |
| Technological Controls | Annex A 8.18 | Annex A 9.4.4 | Use of Privileged Utility Programs |
| Technological Controls | Annex A 8.19 | Annex A 12.5.1 Annex A 12.6.2 | Installation of Software on Operational Systems |
| Technological Controls | Annex A 8.20 | Annex A 13.1.1 | Networks Security |
| Technological Controls | Annex A 8.21 | Annex A 13.1.2 | Security of Network Services |
| Technological Controls | Annex A 8.22 | Annex A 13.1.3 | Segregation of Networks |
| Technological Controls | Annex A 8.23 | NEW | Web filtering |
| Technological Controls | Annex A 8.24 | Annex A 10.1.1 Annex A 10.1.2 | Use of Cryptography |
| Technological Controls | Annex A 8.25 | Annex A 14.2.1 | Secure Development Life Cycle |
| Technological Controls | Annex A 8.26 | Annex A 14.1.2 Annex A 14.1.3 | Application Security Requirements |
| Technological Controls | Annex A 8.27 | Annex A 14.2.5 | Secure System Architecture and Engineering Principles |
| Technological Controls | Annex A 8.28 | NEW | Secure Coding |
| Technological Controls | Annex A 8.29 | Annex A 14.2.8 Annex A 14.2.9 | Security Testing in Development and Acceptance |
| Technological Controls | Annex A 8.30 | Annex A 14.2.7 | Outsourced Development |
| Technological Controls | Annex A 8.31 | Annex A 12.1.4 Annex A 14.2.6 | Separation of Development, Test and Production Environments |
| Technological Controls | Annex A 8.32 | Annex A 12.1.2 Annex A 14.2.2 Annex A 14.2.3 Annex A 14.2.4 | Change Management |
| Technological Controls | Annex A 8.33 | Annex A 14.3.1 | Test Information |
| Technological Controls | Annex A 8.34 | Annex A 12.7.1 | Protection of Information Systems During Audit Testing |
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