BSI ANZ updates ISO 27001 information-security business standards

The widely used ISO/IEC 27001 information-security standard has gotten an overhaul, with standards management and training organisation BSI Group Australia and New Zealand publishing revised versions of the international standard.

Tracing back to the BS 7799 standard first used in 1995, ISO/IEC 27001:2013 – entitled Information Technology – Security Techniques – Information security management systems – Requirements – outlines requirements for establishing, implementing, maintaining and continually improving an information security management system.

It’s the first major change to the standard – and its companion ISO/IEC 27002, entitled ‘Code of practice for information security controls’ – since the 2005 version and reflects the increasingly complex security environment in which it operates today. Changes include modifications to suit the high-level structure used in management-system standards such as ISO 9000 and ISO 20000; easier integration with other management systems; and incorporation of user feedback over the past eight years.

New controls in the 2013 revision of the standard address restrictions on software installation, secure development policy, secure system engineering principles, system security testing, information security policy for suppliers, responses to information security incidents, and more.

The standard has already been used for third-party accredited certifications at more than 17,500 organisations in over 100 countries, according to BSI Group, and is maintained through international consensus across 47 national standards bodies.

Its implementation is managed by ISO/IEC 27002:2013, which provides guidelines on the use of ISO/IEC 27001 and its application to organisational information security standards and information security management. Changes in the new version include removal of duplication with ISO/IEC 27001 for ease of use, and revised and simplified guidance to address new or existing information security needs.

“Businesses need to avoid complacency with regard to information security and ensure that their practices are in line with today’s business environment,” said Anne Hayes, head of market development for risk at BSI, in a statement.

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“Given the rapid growth and pervasiveness of IT within the workplace, and the rising awareness of the importance of cyber security, extra vigilance is needed and can now be better provided.”

The new standard is available from ISO for purchase online.