Jan 31 2013

New Draft ISO27001 and ISO27002 Standards

Category: ISO 27kDISC @ 2:26 pm

Check out the ITG site for details

Industry Update

New Draft ISO27001 and ISO27002 Standards

It has been announced that new Drafts of the two international information security standards ISO27001 (ISMS Requirements) and ISO27002 (Code of Practice) have been published.

These Drafts have been published for the purpose of public consultation. As these are international standards, the consultation process operates internationally, via national standards bodies.

Anyone can comment on the proposed standard and all the comments will then be assembled and reviewed by the committee. The public consultation period closes on 23 March 2013.

To help you understand the proposed changes and implications of these new draft standards we have created an information page.

Click here to read in full about the ISO27001/ISO27002: 2013 Draft Standards

You can also purchase your own copies of the draft standards here:

We will keep you updated with the progress of these standards. Once the new standards are officially published, the existing standards will be withdrawn, however there will be a transition timetable that enables organisations to move from the existing standard to the new one.

Click here to read in full about the ISO27001/ISO27002: 2013 Draft Standards

Tags: Information Security Management System, International standard, ISO, ISO/IEC 27001, ISO/IEC 27002


Jan 24 2013

Controls against Mobile Code

Category: ISO 27k,Mobile SecurityDISC @ 12:16 pm

ISO 27002 control A 10.4.2 of the standard requires that mobile code execution should be restricted to an intended environment to support an authorized organization mobile code policy.

What is a mobile code so letā€™s first start with the definition: ā€˜Program or a code that can execute on remote locations without any modification in the code can travel and execute from one machine to another on a network during its lifetime.ā€™ Some of the computer languages used for mobile code include but not limited to Java, JavaScript, Active x, VB script, C++, C#, ASP.NET, macros and postscripts.

Mobile code could be use for some benign to a very malicious activity which basically depend on coder intentions. Malicious activities may include collection of personal and private information, patient healthcare information, introducing Trojans & worms, and sometime used to modify or destroy information.

Different mobile code languages are used to achieve various goals by the the coder, most pop-ups are coded in JavaScript, Active x for downloading apps and patches. Only If a coder/hacker is enable to execute a mobile code on an organization infrastructure (PC, router, switch, server..) will make it possible to download, collect personal and private information and for that matter any other malicious activity.

example, if one window or frame hosted on one server tries to access the properties of a window or a frame that contains a page from a different server, then the policy of the browser comes into play and restricts that type of action from happening. The idea behind such restrictions is to prevent hackers from putting their pages inside the original page and extract unauthorized information where codes inside their pages are written for that purpose

Protections for Mobile Code
One of the solutions to secure the JavaScript from using it to write a mobile code and run it on the client-side is to perform parsing of the code before execution. If the code can be parsed before execution i.e. having access to the stack, where control over the execution of the code can be achieved the malicious virus can be prevented.

The best and the easiest way to block mobile code is to have an authorized policy to ban or restrict the mobile code into your organization. To implement this policy, an organization can build a rule set on their firewall to block all the mobile code at the perimeter and stop entering into the organization. At the same this may not be feasible for many organizations since languages like JavaScript and active x are used heavily in building website to add bells and whistles. This takes us back to familiar risk assessment question, how much and what mobile code should be allowed into the organization. Organization should assess the related risk to each mobile code and allow or disallow based on the risk it pose to business. If thereā€™s an exception make sure the business owner sign off the exemption form.

Ongoing user awareness to mobile code policy and risk assessment process will be necessary to minimize risk. Block mobile code should be monitored or scanned based on the policy and appropriate measures should be taken if rogue mobile code is detected.

Do you check your verdors or partners are not downloading malicious mobile code on your website?

To know more about Mobile Codeā€¦.
Titles on eBay
Titles on DISC InfoSec Store

Tags: ActiveX, Business, ISO/IEC 27002, Java, JavaScript, Mobile code, Personal computer, VBScript


Oct 30 2012

Operation Procedures and ISMS

Category: ISO 27kDISC @ 11:18 am

In ISO 27001 Annex A control 10.1.1 makes it a requirement to identify all necessary operating procedures at policy level and then document these operating procedure based on the current environment. All of these operating procedures should be under strict document control meaning these procedures should be reviewed and updated at regular intervals based on the organization risk acceptance level. Also if your organization already has ISO20000 then the ISO20000 document control procedures are applicable to ISO 27001.

In ISO 27002 recommendation suggest the detail these operating procedures should address. The detailed work instructions will be directly proportional to the size of the organization and complexity of the task. The rule of thumb is another trained staff should be able to follow the instruction without much assistance. Also these procedures should have an input from cross functional team especially from security staff and the staff operating these procedures. The procedures should take into consideration vendor user manual instructions for all basic functions of the operations. The organizations which may outsource their IT and Security services need to specify the documentation requirement based on ISO 27001/ ISO 9000 in their contract and the relevant documents should be audited on regular basis to keep their required ISO certification

Below are some of the operating procedures.

  • Backup and restore procedures.
  • Handling of information based on the classification.
  • Contact list of all supporting staff including vendors to tackle unexpected events.
  • Detailed system restart and recovery procedures to tackle unexpected incidents

Tags: Information Security, Information Security Management System, International Organization for Standardization, ISO/IEC 27001, ISO/IEC 27002


Oct 18 2012

ISO 27001 Securing offices and facilities

Category: ISO 27kDISC @ 2:56 pm
English: Physical security access control

Physical Security Titles

Control 9.1.3 of annex A requires organizations to secure perimeter to protect offices and facilities to protect information n and physical assets which have been classified as critical or within the scope of ISO 27001.

It is not just protection of computer room or telecomm room HR might need secured cabinet area and senior management may need their offices to be secured.
Physical security domain also provides guidance for protecting against external and environmental threats. Take this threat into consideration, when designing secure rooms from fire, flood, explosion and other form of human created and natural disasters. In external threats, all risks posed by neighboring premises should be considered such as but not limited to leakage of water and gases to secure areas. High security document storage area should have a comprehensive BCP and disaster recovery plan.

Following are some of the controls which ISO 27002 recommends in Physical domain:
o Key storage areas and keyed entrance areas should be sited to avoid access by unauthorized personnelā€™s.
o Data Processing center should give as little indication as possible of their presence.
o Faxes and photocopiers should have a separate secure zone and should be sited.
o Doors and windows should be locked when building are unattended.
o Information processing facility should be a separate zone, if managed by third party should be a separate cage or some other form of physical separation.
o Hazardous or combustible materials, particularly office stationary should not be bulk stored within the secure area
o Back-up equipment and media should not be stored with the equipment that they will back up

Tags: Information Security Management System, ISO/IEC 27001, ISO/IEC 27002, Physical security


Feb 10 2009

Defense in depth and network segmentation

Category: Information Security,Network securityDISC @ 2:17 am

Traditional security schemes are incapable of meeting new security challenges of todayā€™s business requirements. Most security architectures are perimeter centric and lack comprehensive internal controls. Organizations which are dependent on firewall security might be overtaxing (asking security mechanism to do more than it can handle). Some of the old firewalls rule set stay intact for years, which might be a liability when the firewall rule set neither represent current business requirements and nor are protecting critical assets appropriately.

ā€œFirewalls are typically managed by a succession of administrators who create their own rules, which then accumulate over a period of years. This creates rule duplication, which can impinge on performance, but also brings risks such as the use default or open passwords.ā€

The first step in defense in depth is designing a corporate network segmentation policy which describes which departments, application, services and assets should reside on a separate network. Network segmentation will assure that threats are localized with minimal impact on the organization. NIST, ISO27002, and PCI emphasis the importance of network segmentation but does not mandate the requirement. At the same time PCI Standard committee emphasize in new standards that the compliance scope can be significantly minimized by placing all the related assets in the same segment. Network segmentation is not only a common sense in todayā€™s market but also one of the most effective and economical control to implement, simply a great return on investment.

Network segmentation benefits:
o Improve network performance and reduce network congestion
o Contain attacks (viruses, worms, trojans, spam, adware) from overflowing into other networks.
o Improve security by ensuring that nodes are not visible to unauthorized networks. Reduce the size of broadcast domain

Basic idea behind defense in depth is to protect your crown jewel in multiple layers of defense, should one fail, another will provide crucial protection. Another important thing to remember is that we cannot defend everything, so our defense in depth approach should be asset centric rather than perimeter or technology centric. Perform a thorough risk assessment to find out your most important assets and apply the defense in depth approach to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of those critical assets. Examples of network segmentation include wireless network, where you place the wireless network users in their own segment behind a firewall with their own rule set. This rule set will help to contain the users on wireless network as well as any potential attacks on the organization. To get to the content of another segment in the network, the wireless users has to pass through all the layers of protection.

Defense in depth diagram
defenseindepth
Different attacks will be handled by different layers. In the outer layer 1 will handle most of the network related attacks while the layer 2 will handle most of the script based attacks which target the operating system. Layer 3 will handle most of the application attacks which are complex and only utilized by skilled attackers. Layer 4 is your final frontier where you protect your crown jewel by moving many of the tools and techniques used at the perimeter closer to critical assets.



Related article
ā€¢ Network segmentation is a common sense





Defense in depth
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTJSMjYd9c4&feature=related


Tags: Consultants, Firewall, ISO/IEC 27002, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Products, Rate of return, Security, Wireless network


Aug 08 2008

ISO27k and compliance

Category: Information Security,ISO 27kDISC @ 2:42 am

Security review is performed to identify and analyze risks and weaknesses in the current security posture of an organization. An ISO assessment is performed utilizing international standard ISO 27002 and company security policy, the purpose of the review is to evaluate the information security posture of an organization based on international standard. The level of compliance will indicate how close your organization is to meeting the key objectives for each 133 controls defined within 11 security control clauses collectively containing a total of 39 main security categories and one introductory clause introducing risk assessment and treatment.

It is important to not only assess the control for completeness (all relevant areas are addressed) and comprehensiveness (each individual area is covered completely), but also this balanced framework serves as the basis for both measuring an organizationā€™s effectiveness in addressing risk and structuring an organizationā€™s overall security program. Because ISO 27002 requirements are largely a superset of other major regulations, achieving ISO 27002 compliance positions most organizations to be well on their way to meeting the requirements of SOX, HIPAA and GLBA.

To achieve ISO compliance, thorough assessment utilizing all 133 controls will provide mitigating solution guidelines for gaps. To give your business an edge, conduct a security review based on ISO controls, if you would like to compare your security practices with international standard.
The result of the assessment will not only establish and maintain security policy, but also validates the policyā€™s completeness, design new controls and provide a road map to mitigate risks. An assessment of risks will determine what issues need to be addressed and provide a guideline to meet security regulations and a road map to build a world class ISMS (Information Security Management System).

ISO27001 is an international standard which is considered as an information security best practice or due diligence and is part of the security controls and audit controls specification document. ISO27002 is a code of practice which recommends guidelines for information security management systems and is closely linked to ISO 27001. ISO27001 continues to provide comprehensive best-practice advice and guidance to private and public organizations around the globe on how to design and implement a compliant information security management system ISMS.
An ISMS is not simply a set of documents. Maintaining and improving ISMS allows it to grow over time to address new business requirements. An ISMS is simply a system which addresses information security risks facing an organization and identifies the level of organization compliance with applicable regulations.

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Tags: glba, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, hipaa, Information Security, Information Security Management System, isms, iso 27002, iso assessment, iso compliance, ISO/IEC 27001, ISO/IEC 27002, sox