Control 7.2 covers the need for organisations to protect secure areas by using appropriate entry controls and access points.
Entry controls and access points are a crucial part of any building’s security system. They’re what makes it possible for you to get in and out of your building without compromising its safety, and they can also prevent unauthorised or unwanted people from entering.
Entry controls are the devices that allow you access into a building through doors or gates, such as keypads, card readers, biometric scanners and fobs. They can also include other features such as locking mechanisms for doors and gates, as well as turnstiles or revolving doors.
An access point is an electronic device that provides security in large commercial buildings. It uses radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to track all movement in and out of the facility. The access point transmits data back to headquarters so that security personnel can monitor when someone enters or leaves the facility and which areas they are accessing while they are there.
Attributes are used to classify controls. Using these, you can easily match your control choice with regularly used industry phrases and requirements. The attributes in control 7.2 are as follows.
| Control Type | Information Security Properties | Cybersecurity Concepts | Operational Capabilities | Security Domains |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #Preventive | #Confidentiality #Integrity #Availability | #Protect | #Physical Security #Identity and Access Management | #Protection |
Control 7.2 ensures only authorised physical access to the organisation’s information and other associated assets occurs.
Physical security is of primary importance when protecting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information assets. Control 7.2 is primarily concerned with protecting information and other associated assets from unauthorised access, theft or loss. To this end, appropriate entry controls and access points must be in place to ensure that only authorised individuals can access secure areas.
These controls should be designed so that they provide a reasonable assurance that physical access is restricted to authorised persons and that these persons are in fact who they claim to be.
This includes the use of locks and keys (both manual and electronic), security guards, monitoring systems and other barriers around entrances and access points. Access control systems such as passwords, card keys or biometric devices may also be used to control access to sensitive areas in the facility should also be deployed.
In order to meet the requirements for control 7.2 implementation, organisations are required to control and, if possible, isolate from information processing facilities access points such as delivery and loading areas and other points where unauthorised persons can enter the premises, to avoid unauthorised access. These areas should be restricted to authorised personnel only.
There are quite a few implementation guidance in the ISO 27002 standard document under control 7.2 that can serve as a basis for meeting the requirements for this control. These guidelines cover for the general personnel, visitors, and delivery people. You can view the implementation guidelines when you access the revised version of ISO 27002:2022.
In the first place, control 7.2 in ISO 27002:2022 is not a new control, rather, it is a combination of controls 11.1.2 and 11.1.6 in ISO 27002:2013. These two controls were revised in ISO 27002:2022 to make it more user-friendly to that of ISO 27002:2013.
Control 11.1.2 – Physical entry controls, covers the need for secure areas to be protected by appropriate entry controls to ensure that only authorised personnel are allowed access. As you can see, control 11.1.2 covers basically physical entry controls and the implementation guidelines in that section of the standard looks at the steps organisations can take to ensure that only people who are authorised can be allowed for specific purposes.
It also stipulates that appropriate measures like two-factor authentication is needed for access to information security sensitive areas by authorised persons. This access should also be backed by a physical log book or electronic audit trail.
Control 11.1.6 – Delivery and Loading Areas on the other hand covers access to delivery and loading areas by authorised persons only. It recommends that this area should be designed in such a way that it is isolated from operation premises so that delivery personnel cannot gain access to other parts of the building.
As you can see, these two recommendations were merged together into one in control 7.2 in the updated version of ISO 27002.
Ultimately, control 7.2 and controls 11.1.2 and 11.1.6 are somewhat similar in context. The primary difference is that 11.1.2 and 11.1.6 were merged to allow for improved user-friendliness.
Additionally, an attributes table and control purpose were added in the 2022 version of ISO 27002. These two elements are not in the controls in the 2013 version.
The control of physical access is considered among the most important security measures in a company or organisation.
The security department is responsible for all aspects of physical security, including entry control. However, they may delegate authority to another department if they feel that they lack the expertise or resources needed to handle this task.
IT teams play an important role in physical security as well. They help ensure that the technology systems in use by physical security are up-to-date and secure. For example, if you have an intrusion detection system (IDS) in place at your organisation’s front door but its software hasn’t been updated in months, then it’s not going to do much good when an intruder tries to get past it.
Since the ISO 27002 standard was only slightly altered, your organisation will not need to change its information security practices very much.
If you already have an ISO 27001 certification, you will find that your current information security management approach satisfies the new standards.
If you’re starting from scratch, though, you’ll need to familiarise yourself with the information in the new standard.
Please check our new ISO 27002:2022 guide to learn more about how these changes could affect your organisation.
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| ISO/IEC 27002:2022 Control Identifier | ISO/IEC 27002:2013 Control Identifier | Control Name |
|---|---|---|
| 5.7 | New | Threat intelligence |
| 5.23 | New | Information security for use of cloud services |
| 5.30 | New | ICT readiness for business continuity |
| 7.4 | New | Physical security monitoring |
| 8.9 | New | Configuration management |
| 8.10 | New | Information deletion |
| 8.11 | New | Data masking |
| 8.12 | New | Data leakage prevention |
| 8.16 | New | Monitoring activities |
| 8.23 | New | Web filtering |
| 8.28 | New | Secure coding |
| ISO/IEC 27002:2022 Control Identifier | ISO/IEC 27002:2013 Control Identifier | Control Name |
|---|---|---|
| 6.1 | 07.1.1 | Screening |
| 6.2 | 07.1.2 | Terms and conditions of employment |
| 6.3 | 07.2.2 | Information security awareness, education and training |
| 6.4 | 07.2.3 | Disciplinary process |
| 6.5 | 07.3.1 | Responsibilities after termination or change of employment |
| 6.6 | 13.2.4 | Confidentiality or non-disclosure agreements |
| 6.7 | 06.2.2 | Remote working |
| 6.8 | 16.1.2, 16.1.3 | Information security event reporting |
| ISO/IEC 27002:2022 Control Identifier | ISO/IEC 27002:2013 Control Identifier | Control Name |
|---|---|---|
| 7.1 | 11.1.1 | Physical security perimeters |
| 7.2 | 11.1.2, 11.1.6 | Physical entry |
| 7.3 | 11.1.3 | Securing offices, rooms and facilities |
| 7.4 | New | Physical security monitoring |
| 7.5 | 11.1.4 | Protecting against physical and environmental threats |
| 7.6 | 11.1.5 | Working in secure areas |
| 7.7 | 11.2.9 | Clear desk and clear screen |
| 7.8 | 11.2.1 | Equipment siting and protection |
| 7.9 | 11.2.6 | Security of assets off-premises |
| 7.10 | 08.3.1, 08.3.2, 08.3.3, 11.2.5 | Storage media |
| 7.11 | 11.2.2 | Supporting utilities |
| 7.12 | 11.2.3 | Cabling security |
| 7.13 | 11.2.4 | Equipment maintenance |
| 7.14 | 11.2.7 | Secure disposal or re-use of equipment |
