ISO 27002:2022, Control 6.1 – Screening

ISO 27002:2022 Revised Controls

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Purpose of Control 6.1

Control 6.1 deals with the background checks that are required on all employees and selected suppliers, prior to them joining the organisation.

Control 6.1 advocated for a proportional approach to verification checks that is linked to the unique requirements of the organisation, and encompasses all the relevant laws, regulations and ethical standards that an organisation holds themselves to, wherever they operate.

When carrying out checks, organisations should be mindful of the type of information that each employee/supplier will come into contact with throughout their job role, and any associated risks.

Attributes Table

Control 6.1 is a preventive control that maintains risk by establishing a screening process that vets all full-time, part-time and casual/temporary staff and suppliers, to ensure that only fit and proper personnel are able to access information.

Control TypeInformation Security PropertiesCybersecurity ConceptsOperational CapabilitiesSecurity Domains
#Preventive #Confidentiality
#Integrity
#Availability
#Protect#Human Resource Security#Governance and Ecosystem

Ownership of Control 6.1

Employment verification checks are usually carried out prior to a person starting their job. As such, ownership of 6.1 should rest with an organisation’s HR Manager.

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General Guidance on Control 6.1

Screening activities should include the following checks:

  1. References, including both business and personal attestations.
  2. CV verification, to ensure the candidate has neither omitted any relevant information and has only included accurate and truthful information.
  3. Confirmation of academic, vocational and professional qualifications and certifications.
  4. Identity verification, as confirmed by a third-party governmental or public sector organisation (passport and/or driving licence checks).
  5. Credit checks and criminal record checks, for any roles that are deemed suitable for enhanced vetting.

Background verification often includes the collection, processing and transfer of PII and/or protected characteristics (UK law). As such, organisations should ensure strict adherence to any prevailing employment legislation, wherever they operate.

This usually involves informing the candidate of the screening process (both in terms of the data being processed and what it’s being used for), prior to the verification being carried out.

Screening procedures should clearly outline the personnel responsible for carrying out the screening on behalf of the organisation, and the underlying reason as to why screening is being conducted in the first place.

If screening is to be carried out on suppliers, it’s important to include this requirement in any contractual agreements prior to services being rendered.

Once an employee/supplier has been vetted and hired, the organisation should take steps to ensure that the candidate has the ability to carry out their role as advertised, and has proven themselves to be a trustworthy individual, especially if their role includes any information security-related activities.

Guidance – Enhanced Vetting

Control 6.1 gives organisations considerable leeway on the circumstances that are required prior to initiating enhanced vetting controls.

Such procedures should be decided on a job-by-job basis, and no distinction should be made between new staff, or existing staff that have been promoted to a role that features a greater amount of responsibility.

Roles that require enhanced screening can be defined as any that deal with information processing as a daily activity (e.g. HR), or any role that includes the handling or processing of PII, financial information or any other type of sensitive data.

Organisations should also consider ways in which to verify the ongoing suitability of any personnel who are employed within a critical role.

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Guidance – Incomplete Verifications

In certain circumstances (urgent hires, third-party delays, application mistakes etc.), screening is not always able to be completed in a timely manner.

Where this occurs, organisations should consider alternative courses of action that minimises the risks associated with an unscreened member of staff, including:

  1. Delayed onboarding.
  2. Restricted access to systems.
  3. Withholding company assets and equipment.
  4. Termination of employment.

Changes and Differences From ISO 27002:2013

27002:2022-6.1 replaces 27002:2013-7.1.1 (Screening).

27002:2022-6.1 contains the same basic guidance points as 27002:2013-7.1.1, in advising organisations on what information is required to be verified prior to an employee/supplier starting their job (references, CV, identity etc).

Building on the basic guidance offered, 27002:2022-6.1 also contains additional information on how organisations should react to incomplete verifications, including potential termination.

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New Controls

ISO/IEC 27002:2022 Control IdentifierISO/IEC 27002:2013 Control IdentifierControl Name
5.7NewThreat intelligence
5.23NewInformation security for use of cloud services
5.30NewICT readiness for business continuity
7.4NewPhysical security monitoring
8.9NewConfiguration management
8.10NewInformation deletion
8.11NewData masking
8.12NewData leakage prevention
8.16NewMonitoring activities
8.23NewWeb filtering
8.28NewSecure coding

Organisational Controls

ISO/IEC 27002:2022 Control IdentifierISO/IEC 27002:2013 Control IdentifierControl Name
5.105.1.1, 05.1.2Policies for information security
5.206.1.1Information security roles and responsibilities
5.306.1.2Segregation of duties
5.407.2.1Management responsibilities
5.506.1.3Contact with authorities
5.606.1.4Contact with special interest groups
5.7NewThreat intelligence
5.806.1.5, 14.1.1Information security in project management
5.908.1.1, 08.1.2Inventory of information and other associated assets
5.1008.1.3, 08.2.3Acceptable use of information and other associated assets
5.1108.1.4Return of assets
5.12 08.2.1Classification of information
5.1308.2.2Labelling of information
5.1413.2.1, 13.2.2, 13.2.3Information transfer
5.1509.1.1, 09.1.2Access control
5.1609.2.1Identity management
5.17 09.2.4, 09.3.1, 09.4.3Authentication information
5.1809.2.2, 09.2.5, 09.2.6Access rights
5.1915.1.1Information security in supplier relationships
5.2015.1.2Addressing information security within supplier agreements
5.2115.1.3Managing information security in the ICT supply chain
5.2215.2.1, 15.2.2Monitoring, review and change management of supplier services
5.23NewInformation security for use of cloud services
5.2416.1.1Information security incident management planning and preparation
5.2516.1.4Assessment and decision on information security events
5.2616.1.5Response to information security incidents
5.2716.1.6Learning from information security incidents
5.2816.1.7Collection of evidence
5.2917.1.1, 17.1.2, 17.1.3Information security during disruption
5.30NewICT readiness for business continuity
5.3118.1.1, 18.1.5Legal, statutory, regulatory and contractual requirements
5.3218.1.2Intellectual property rights
5.3318.1.3Protection of records
5.3418.1.4Privacy and protection of PII
5.3518.2.1Independent review of information security
5.3618.2.2, 18.2.3Compliance with policies, rules and standards for information security
5.3712.1.1Documented operating procedures

People Controls

ISO/IEC 27002:2022 Control IdentifierISO/IEC 27002:2013 Control IdentifierControl Name
6.107.1.1Screening
6.207.1.2Terms and conditions of employment
6.307.2.2Information security awareness, education and training
6.407.2.3Disciplinary process
6.507.3.1Responsibilities after termination or change of employment
6.613.2.4Confidentiality or non-disclosure agreements
6.706.2.2Remote working
6.816.1.2, 16.1.3Information security event reporting

Physical Controls

ISO/IEC 27002:2022 Control IdentifierISO/IEC 27002:2013 Control IdentifierControl Name
7.111.1.1Physical security perimeters
7.211.1.2, 11.1.6Physical entry
7.311.1.3Securing offices, rooms and facilities
7.4NewPhysical security monitoring
7.511.1.4Protecting against physical and environmental threats
7.611.1.5Working in secure areas
7.711.2.9Clear desk and clear screen
7.811.2.1Equipment siting and protection
7.911.2.6Security of assets off-premises
7.1008.3.1, 08.3.2, 08.3.3, 11.2.5Storage media
7.1111.2.2Supporting utilities
7.1211.2.3Cabling security
7.1311.2.4Equipment maintenance
7.1411.2.7Secure disposal or re-use of equipment

Technological Controls

ISO/IEC 27002:2022 Control IdentifierISO/IEC 27002:2013 Control IdentifierControl Name
8.106.2.1, 11.2.8User endpoint devices
8.209.2.3Privileged access rights
8.309.4.1Information access restriction
8.409.4.5Access to source code
8.509.4.2Secure authentication
8.612.1.3Capacity management
8.712.2.1Protection against malware
8.812.6.1, 18.2.3Management of technical vulnerabilities
8.9NewConfiguration management
8.10NewInformation deletion
8.11NewData masking
8.12NewData leakage prevention
8.1312.3.1Information backup
8.1417.2.1Redundancy of information processing facilities
8.1512.4.1, 12.4.2, 12.4.3Logging
8.16NewMonitoring activities
8.1712.4.4Clock synchronization
8.1809.4.4Use of privileged utility programs
8.1912.5.1, 12.6.2Installation of software on operational systems
8.2013.1.1Networks security
8.2113.1.2Security of network services
8.2213.1.3Segregation of networks
8.23NewWeb filtering
8.2410.1.1, 10.1.2Use of cryptography
8.2514.2.1Secure development life cycle
8.2614.1.2, 14.1.3Application security requirements
8.2714.2.5Secure system architecture and engineering principles
8.28NewSecure coding
8.2914.2.8, 14.2.9Security testing in development and acceptance
8.3014.2.7Outsourced development
8.3112.1.4, 14.2.6Separation of development, test and production environments
8.3212.1.2, 14.2.2, 14.2.3, 14.2.4Change management
8.3314.3.1Test information
8.3412.7.1Protection of information systems during audit testing

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