System acquisition, development, and maintenance

Information technology has become an integral part of businesses, governments, and organizations around the world. With this increased reliance on technology, it’s critical to ensure that systems and software are developed, maintained, and retired in a secure and safe manner. That’s where ISO 27001’s control on System Acquisition, Development, and Maintenance comes in.

Definition:

System Acquisition, Development, and Maintenance (SADM) refers to the processes involved in acquiring, designing, developing, testing, implementing, maintaining, and retiring information systems and software. This control aims to ensure the security of these processes by defining secure development practices, secure maintenance procedures, and secure retirement practices.

Importance:

The importance of secure System Acquisition, Development, and Maintenance cannot be overstated. A security breach at any stage of the software development process can have catastrophic consequences, including data theft, unauthorized access to systems, and reputational damage. With the SADM control, organizations can ensure that their software development process is secure and that their systems and software are protected from threats.

Scope and Purpose:

The scope of ISO 27001’s SADM control covers all stages of the software development process, from design to retirement. Its purpose is to provide a comprehensive set of security controls and procedures for ensuring the secure development and maintenance of information systems and software.

A.14 System acquisition, development, and maintenance (3 objectives and 13 controls)  

Sr. No.	OBJECTIVES(BOLD) AND CONTROLS
A.14.1	Security requirements of information systems
A.14.1.1	Security requirements analysis and specification
A.14.1.2	Securing Application Services on public networks
A.14.1.3	Protecting application services transactions
A.14.2	Security in development and support processes
A.14.2.1	Secure Development Policy
A.14.2.2	System change control procedures
A.14.2.3	Technical review of applications after operating platform changes
A.14.2.4	Restrictions on changes to software packages
A.14.2.5	Secure System Engineering Principles
A.14.2.6	Secure Development Environment
A.14.2.7	Outsourced Development
A.14.2.8	System Security Testing
A.14.2.9	System acceptance testing
A.14.3	Test Data
A.14.3.1	Protection of test data

Threats to System Acquisition, Development, and Maintenance:

There are various threats to the security of the software development process, including:

• Unsecured software design and development practices
• Insufficient testing and acceptance procedures
• Insecure configuration management
• Inadequate change management processes
• Lack of security awareness and training among development teams

System Acquisition, Development, and Maintenance controls and procedures:

To address these threats, ISO 27001’s SADM control defines a set of controls and procedures for secure software development and maintenance. These controls include:

• Secure software development life cycle (SDLC)
• Secure system design and development
• Secure system testing and acceptance
• Secure system implementation
• Secure system maintenance and support
• Secure system retirement or replacement
• Secure configuration management
• Secure change management
• Incident management and response
• Security awareness and training
• Monitoring and review of System Acquisition, Development, and Maintenance

Secure system design and development

Secure system design and development is the process of creating secure information systems and applications. It involves designing systems that protect against potential threats and vulnerabilities and implementing security measures to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information. The goal of secure system design and development is to create systems that are robust, reliable, and secure.

In order to achieve secure system design and development, organizations must consider the following:

1. Threat modeling: Organizations must identify potential threats to the system, assess their likelihood of occurrence, and prioritize mitigation strategies.
2. Security requirements: Organizations must define security requirements and incorporate them into the design of the system.
3. Secure architecture: Organizations must design systems with secure architecture principles, such as the principle of least privilege and separation of duties.
4. Secure coding practices: Organizations must use secure coding practices, such as input validation, error handling, and secure storage of sensitive information.
5. Testing and validation: Organizations must validate the security of the system through testing and penetration testing.

Secure system testing and acceptance

Secure system testing and acceptance is a crucial stage in the software development life cycle (SDLC) that involves evaluating the functionality, security, and performance of a software system to determine if it meets the specified requirements and is fit for its intended purpose. This process ensures that the software is reliable, secure, and ready for deployment in a production environment.

During the testing and acceptance stage, the following activities are carried out:

1. Functional testing: To confirm that the system performs its intended functions correctly and effectively.
2. Security testing: To identify any potential security vulnerabilities in the system and to confirm that it meets security requirements.
3. Performance testing: To measure the system’s response time, scalability, and resource utilization under different conditions.
4. User acceptance testing: To ensure that the system meets the requirements and expectations of the end-users.
5. Regression testing: To verify that changes to the system have not impacted its existing functionality.

Secure system implementation

Secure system implementation refers to the process of putting a developed software or system into production and making it available for use. This stage involves ensuring that the system has been properly tested, configured, and integrated into the existing IT infrastructure.

In order to ensure the secure implementation of a system, the following steps should be followed:

1. Plan and prepare: This involves preparing a detailed implementation plan, outlining the steps required to deploy the system and ensuring that all necessary resources are in place.
2. Configuration: The system must be properly configured and tested to ensure that it is ready for deployment. This may involve making changes to settings and configurations to ensure that the system meets the requirements for security, performance, and functionality.
3. Integration: The system must be integrated with other systems and applications within the organization’s IT infrastructure to ensure that it functions correctly and that data is properly exchanged between systems.
4. Testing: Before the system is put into production, it must undergo thorough testing to ensure that it functions correctly and that all potential security vulnerabilities have been addressed.
5. Deployment: Once the system has been tested and all necessary configurations and integrations have been completed, the system can be deployed into production.
6. Monitoring and maintenance: The system must be monitored to ensure that it continues to function correctly and that any issues are quickly identified and resolved. Regular maintenance should also be performed to ensure that the system remains secure and up-to-date.

Secure system maintenance and support

Secure system maintenance and support refers to the process of ensuring the security and reliability of an IT system throughout its lifecycle. This includes fixing any bugs, updating software, and addressing any security vulnerabilities that may arise. Effective system maintenance and support requires careful planning, documentation, and communication between all stakeholders, including developers, administrators, users, and customers.

The following are some of the key practices and procedures that can be implemented as part of a security system maintenance and support process:

1. Change management: A formal change management process should be in place to ensure that any changes made to the system are properly planned, tested, and approved before implementation.
2. Vulnerability management: Regular security scans should be conducted to identify any vulnerabilities that may exist within the system, and prompt action should be taken to address these vulnerabilities.
3. Patch management: Up-to-date software patches should be installed to address known vulnerabilities and improve the security of the system.
4. Incident response and resolution: An incident response plan should be in place to quickly and effectively respond to any security incidents that may occur, and the resolution of these incidents should be documented.
5. Documentation: Detailed documentation of the system, including system configurations, maintenance logs, and incident reports, should be maintained to help ensure the security and reliability of the system over time.

Secure system retirement or replacement

Secure system retirement or replacement refers to the process of discontinuing the use of an information system and replacing it with a new or updated system. This process is important because systems become outdated, unsupported, or no longer meet the needs of the organization over time. When a system reaches its end of life, it is crucial to plan for its retirement in a secure manner to ensure that the organization’s sensitive information is protected during the transition.

The secure system retirement or replacement process involves several key steps, including:

1. Assessing the need for retirement or replacement: This involves determining whether the current system is no longer meeting the needs of the organization, or if it has become outdated, unsupported, or has reached its end of life.
2. Planning for the transition: This involves developing a detailed plan for how the retirement or replacement process will be carried out, including the timeline, budget, and resources needed.
3. Data backup and migration: This involves backing up the data from the old system and migrating it to the new system in a secure and controlled manner.
4. Decommissioning the old system: This involves securely erasing or destroying the data stored on the old system and disposing of it in a secure manner.
5. Testing and validation: This involves testing the new system to ensure that it is secure and meets the requirements of the organization.
6. Implementation: This involves deploying the new system and making it operational.

Secure change management

Secure change management is a process that governs the management and control of changes to IT systems, services, and applications. It is an important aspect of system acquisition, development, and maintenance in the context of ISO 27001. The purpose of secure change management is to ensure that all changes made to the IT environment are planned, tested, approved, and implemented in a controlled and consistent manner. The goal is to minimize the risks associated with changes and ensure that changes do not have unintended consequences.

The key elements of secure change management include:

1. Change request initiation: A change request is initiated by the business or IT department when a change is needed to the IT environment. The request must be documented and include details about the change, the reason for the change, and the expected outcome.
2. Assessment and approval: The change request is assessed by the change management team to determine its impact and risk. If the change is approved, it is then scheduled for implementation.
3. Implementation and testing: The change is implemented in a controlled environment and tested to ensure that it meets the requirements and that it does not cause any adverse effects on the IT environment.
4. Deployment: Once the change has been tested and approved, it can be deployed to the production environment.
5. Monitoring and review: The change is monitored and reviewed to ensure that it has the desired outcome and that it does not have any unintended consequences. If any issues arise, they are addressed and resolved through the change management process.

Best Practice:

There are several best practices that organizations can follow to ensure the security of their systems during the acquisition, development, and maintenance phases:

• Adhere to a secure software development life cycle (SDLC) process
• Conduct risk assessments
• Implement secure design and development practices
• Conduct thorough testing and acceptance
• Maintain system security during maintenance and support
• Plan for system retirement or replacement
• Implement a configuration management process
• Implement a change management process
• Train employees
• Monitor and review systems regularly

Conclusion:

In conclusion, ISO 27001’s control on System Acquisition, Development, and Maintenance is critical for ensuring the security of software development processes and the protection of information systems and software. By following best practices and adhering to the defined controls and procedures, organizations can ensure the safe and secure development, maintenance, and retirement of their information systems and software.