ISO 27002:2022 – Control 8.32 – Change Management

Ensuring Secure and Controlled Changes with ISO 27002:2022 Control 8.32

Changes to information systems such as replacing a network device, creating a new database instance, or upgrading software are often necessary for improved performance, reduced costs, and higher efficiencies.

However, those changes to information processing facilities and systems, if not implemented properly, may lead to the compromise of information assets stored in or processed by these facilities.

Control 8.32 addresses how organisations can establish and apply change management procedures to monitor, review and control changes made to the information processing facilities and systems.

Purpose of Control 8.32

Control 8.32 enables organisations to maintain the security of information assets when executing changes on the information processing facilities and systems by establishing, implementing and managing change management rules and procedures.

Attributes Table of Control 8.32

Control 8.32 is preventive in nature. It requires organisations to define, document, specify, and enforce change control processes that govern the entire life cycle of information systems, from the initial design to the deployment and use.

Ownership of Control 8.32

Considering that compliance with Control 8.32 entails the establishment and enforcement of change control procedures that apply to all stages in the life cycle of information systems, chief information security officers, with the support of domain experts, should be responsible to design and enforce these procedures.

General Guidance on Compliance

All major changes to information systems and the introduction of new systems should be subject to an agreed set of rules and procedures. These changes should be formally specified and documented. Furthermore, they should go through the testing and quality control processes.

To ensure that all changes comply with the change control rules and standards, organisations should assign management responsibilities to appropriate management and should set out the necessary procedures.

Control 8.32 lists nine elements that should be included in the change management procedure:

1. Organisations should plan and measure the likely impact of planned changes, taking into account all dependencies.
2. Implementing authorisation controls for changes.
3. Informing relevant internal and external parties about the planned changes.
4. Establishing and implementing testing and acceptance testing processes for changes in accordance with Control 8.29.
5. How the changes will be implemented, including how they will be deployed in practice.
6. Establishing emergency and contingency plans and procedures. This may also include setting out a fall-back procedure.
7. Keeping records of all changes and related activities, including all activities listed above(1 to 6).
8. Operating documentation as required in Control 5.37 and user procedures are reviewed and updated to reflect the changes.
9. ICT continuity plans and recovery and response procedures should be reviewed and revised to reflect the changes.

Lastly, it is noted that organisations should integrate change control procedures for software and ICT infrastructure to the maximum extent possible.

Supplementary Guidance on Control 8.32

Changes to the production environments such as operating systems, and databases may compromise the integrity and availability of applications, particularly the transfer of software from development to production environment.

Another risk that organisations should be cautious against is changing software in the production environment may have unintended consequences.

To prevent these risks, organisations should perform tests on ICT components in an environment isolated from the development and production environments.

This will enable organisations to have greater control over new software and will provide an extra layer of protection for real-world data used for testing purposes. This extra protection can be achieved via patches and service packs.

Changes and Differences from ISO 27002:2013

27002:2022/8.32 replaces 27002:2013/(12.1.2, 14.2.2, 14.2.3, 14.2.4)

Overall, the 2013 version was more prescriptive compared to the 2022 version in terms of the requirements for change control procedures.

There are three key differences to be highlighted between the two versions.

ISO 27002:2013 Version Was More Detailed in Terms of What ‘Change Procedure’ Should Entail

Both the 27002:2022 and 27002:2013 version lists what a ‘change procedure’ should include in a non-exhaustive manner.

However, the 2013 version contained the following elements that were not referred to in the 2022 version:

• Security critical code should be identified and reviewed to remedy vulnerabilities.
• Organisations should preserve version control for all updates implemented on software.
• Organisations should identify and document a list of all hardware and software components that needs amendment and updates.

2013 Version Addressed ‘Changes to Operating Platforms’

Control 14.2.3 in version 27002:2013 dealt with how organisations can minimise the adverse effects on and disruptions to the business operations when changes are made to operating systems.

The 27002:2022 version, in contrast, does not include requirements for such changes.

2013 Version Addressed ‘Changes to Software Packages’

Control 14.2.4 in 27002:2013 version addressed ‘Changes to Software Packages’. On the contrary, the 27002:2022 version does not contain requirements for such changes.

New ISO 27002 Controls

How ISMS.online Helps

Our cloud-based platform provides you with a robust framework of information security controls so that you can checklist your ISMS process as you go to ensure that it meets the requirements for ISO 27000k.

Used properly, ISMS. online can assist you in achieving certification with the bare minimum of time and resources.

Get in touch today to book a demo.