Throughout Annex A 7.6, we discuss how organisations can protect their information assets placed in secure areas against various risks posed by personnel working there.
To maintain the security of sensitive information assets, housing them in secure areas, such as secure server rooms, and enforcing strict access controls is not enough.
It is possible for employees who have access to secure areas, whether deliberately or negligently, to damage the hardware equipment and digital assets stored there or access, use, or destroy these facilities or information assets without proper authorisation.
Annex A 7.6 is preventive in nature as it requires organisations to ensure the security, confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information assets held in secure areas by preventing risks associated with employee misconduct.
Considering that Annex A 7.6 requires organisations to design and establish security measures that extend to all operations carried out in secure areas, the Information Security Officer (ISO) should be responsible for devising, implementing, and maintaining security measures that take the level of risk into account for each designated secure area.
Information Security Officers may collaborate with facilities management teams and information asset owners to design and implement appropriate security controls for use in secure areas.
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The security measures outlined in Annex A 7.6 must be applied to all personnel working in secure areas and to all activities conducted there.
Security measures implemented by organisations may vary in type and degree depending on the level of risk to specific assets. Annex A 7.6 outlines six particular requirements:
ISO 27001:2022 Annex A 7.6 replaces ISO 27001:2013 Annex A 11.1.5 (known as ‘Working in Secure Areas‘). There are some similarities between the two versions, but the 2022 version has more comprehensive requirements for security measures.
Specifically, the 2022 version introduces two new requirements that organisations should consider when implementing security measures for secure areas:
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 |
Implementing ISO 27001:2022 is straightforward with our step-by-step checklist that guides you from defining the scope of your ISMS to identifying risks and implementing controls.
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