Information Security Policy: Must-Have Elements and Tips

Organizations often create multiple IT policies for a variety of needs: disaster recovery, data classification, data privacy, risk assessment, risk management and so on. These documents are usually interconnected and provide a framework for the company to set values to guide decision-making and responses.

Organizations also need an information security policy (InfoSec policy). It provides controls and procedures that help ensure that employees will work with IT assets appropriately. This article explains the benefits of creating information security policies, what elements a policy should contain and best practices for success.

What is an information security policy?

The National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) defines an information security policy as an “aggregate of directives, regulations, rules, and practices that prescribes how an organization manages, protects, and distributes information.”

Since organizations have different business requirements, compliance obligations and staffing, information security policy standards and practices can’t be the same for everyone. Instead, each IT department should determine the policy choices that best serve their particular needs and create a straightforward document that is approved by high-level stakeholders and partners.

Information Security Policy vs Data Security Policy

It’s important to note that an information security policy isn’t the same as a data security policy. Rather, a data security policy is a subset of an organization’s overall information security policy. It focuses on the protection and proper handling of an organization’s data assets, which can include sensitive, confidential and proprietary information. This policy outlines detailed rules, procedures and practices that organizations use to secure sensitive data from data breaches, disclosure, alteration or destruction.

Here are the key differences between an information security policy and a data security policy:

• Scope: An information security policy encompasses all aspects of information security within an organization, including data security. A data security policy, on the other hand, limits its focus to safeguarding data, both digital and physical, from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification or destruction.
• Specificity: An information security policy provides general guidance and principles. It doesn’t go into the specific details and procedures that a data security policy includes.
• Audience: Information security policies are typically aimed at top-level management and stakeholders. In contrast, data security policies are more relevant to IT and data-handling personnel who need specific instructions for protecting data assets.

What are the benefits of an information security policy?

Information security policies and procedures are essential for the following reasons:

Ensure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of data

Having a solid policy in place provides a standardized approach for identifying and mitigating risks to data confidentiality, integrity and availability (known as the CIA triad), as well as appropriate steps for response to issues.

Minimize risk

An information security policy details how an organization spots, evaluates and mitigates IT vulnerabilities to block threats and prevent security incidents, along with the processes used to recover after system outages or data breaches.

Netwrix offers several solutions that can help your organization minimize data breaches. These include:

• Information governance software: This software helps you keep your data secure throughout its lifecycle. It helps you find and categorize information from the moment it’s created, determine its sensitivity and decide if it should be kept as an official record. This way, you can control and make sure your organization doesn’t collect more data than it needs.
• Data access governance software: This solution focuses on securing sensitive information and controlling who can access it. It discovers and classifies data, whether structured or unstructured, wherever it may be. It helps you ensure that only the right people can access specific data based on their roles, as well as spot unusual activity, like someone trying to access sensitive data without permission.
• Ransomware protection solution: With this solution, you can identify issues like too many people having too much access to files. You can also create temporary accounts with just enough access for specific tasks. Plus, it can detect a ransomware attack as it happens, allowing you to respond quickly and prevent major damage.

Coordinate and enforce a security program across the organization

Any security program requires creating a cohesive InfoSec policy. This helps prevent diverging departmental decisions, or worse, departments with no policies at all. The policy defines how the organization identifies extraneous tools or processes that don’t perform useful security functions.

Communicate security measures to third parties and external auditors

Codifying security policies enables an organization to easily communicate its security measures around IT assets and resources, not just to employees and internal stakeholders but also to external auditors, contractors, partners and other third parties.

Meet compliance requirements

Having a well-developed security policy is important for an organization to pass compliance audits for security standards and regulations such as HIPAA and CCPA. Auditors commonly ask companies to provide documentation of their internal controls, and your information security policy helps you demonstrate that you perform required tasks such as:

• Regularly assessing the adequacy of current IT security strategies
• Performing risk assessment to uncover and mitigate vulnerabilities in technology or workflows
• Analyzing the efficacy of existing systems for data integrity and cybersecurity

With Netwrix’s compliance audit solutions, you can streamline the otherwise time-consuming and stressful process of preparing for audits. You can efficiently and quickly address unexpected inquiries that may arise during compliance assessments. Moreover, the benefits extend far beyond mere compliance, as you gain comprehensive end-to-end security.

What resources should you consult when developing an information security policy?

Developing an information security policy can be a large undertaking. The following frameworks offer information security guidelines on how to develop and maintain a security policy:

• COBIT: COBIT focuses on security, risk management and informationgovernance. It is particularly valuable for Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX)compliance.
• NIST Cybersecurity Framework: This framework offers security controls aligned with the five phases of riskanalysis and riskmanagement: identify, protect, detect, respond and recover. It is often used in critical infrastructure sectors like utilities, transportation and energy production.
• ISO/IEC 27000: This series from the International Standards Organization is one of the broadest frameworks. It can be adapted to organizations of all types and sizes, and various sub-standards are designed for specific industries. For example, ISO 27799 addresses healthcare information security and is useful for organizations subject to HIPAAcompliance. Other standards in the series are applicable for areas such as cloud computing, digital evidence collection and storage security.

In addition, various organizations publish free information security policy templates that you can edit to meet your needs rather than start from scratch.

What are the key elements of an information security policy?

In general, an information security policy should include the following sections:

• Purpose: Articulate the purpose of the information security policy. Be sure to identify any regulations or laws that the policy is intended to help the organization comply with.
• Scope: Detail what falls under the policy, such as computers and other IT assets, data repositories, users, systems, and applications.
• Timeline: Specify the effective date of the policy.
• Authority: Identify the person or entity that backs the policy, such as the owner of the company or the board of directors.
• Policy compliance: List all regulations that the information security policy is intended to help the organization comply with, such as HIPAA, SOX, PCI DSS or GLBA.
• Body: Describe the procedures, processes and controls for each of these areas:
  • Asset and information classification and control: Describe how you tag data by security classification and apply controls to ensure proper data protection.
  • Information retention: Explain how you store and back up data and enforce retention timelines.
  • Personnel security: Detail security procedures regarding personnel matters, such as confidentiality agreements and personnel screening.
  • Identity and access management: Describe management policies regarding user access, privileges and passwords. Be sure to note special requirements based on a user’s roles and responsibilities, such as the need for strong authentication by security operations personnel. This section also addresses network security, application access control and cloud security.
  • Change management and incident management: Define procedures for responding to changes that could affect the confidentiality, integrity or availability of an IT system. Also detail proper security incident response procedures for security compromises or system malfunctions, along with the specific personnel responsible for these tasks.
  • Acceptable use policy: Describe how individuals may use the organization’s network, internet access mechanisms and devices for both business and personal use. Detail any differences for various groups, such as employees, contractors, volunteers and the public.
  • Antivirus and patch management: Specify procedures for applying antivirus updates and software patches.
  • Physical and environmental security: Set standards for information security in regard to physical security, such as locked doors for controlled-access areas.
  • Communications and operations management: Describe operational procedures and responsibilities for areas such as system planning and acceptance, content backup, and vulnerability management.
  • Exchange of information and software: Outline proper steps for exchanging data or software with external parties. This section is particularly pertinent to organizations that work with third parties or that must respond to customer or third party data requests. Ensure it aligns with your privacy policy.
  • Cryptographic controls: Specify required uses of cryptography to achieve security objectives, such as encrypting email attachments or data stored on laptops.

  What best practices should I follow to create a good security policy?

  Following these best practices will help you create an effective InfoSec policy:

  • Get executive buy-in. The policy will be much easier to implement and enforce if top leadership signs off on it.
  • List all appropriate security regulations. Ensure that you are familiar with all of the regulations that govern your industry since they will heavily influence the content of your policy.
  • Evaluate your systems, processes, and data. Before drafting a document, familiarize yourself with your organization’s current systems, data and workflows. This will require working closely with your business counterparts.
  • Customize the policy to your organization. Make sure the policy is relevant to the needs of your organization. Take time to clarify the objectives of the policy and define its scope.
  • Identify risks. To outline proper risk response procedures, your organization must identify potential risks. Many organizations do this through a risk assessment.
  • Be open to new security controls. Depending on the risks you identify, your organization may need to adopt new security measures.
  • Thoroughly document your procedures. Many aspects of an information security policy rely on the procedures it describes. Sometimes, employees are already conducting these workflows, so this step involves simply writing them down. In any case, test the procedures to ensure they are accurate and complete.
  • Educate everyone. A policy that merely exists as a document does not achieve information security. Make sure all employees receive training on the content of the security policy and compliance requirements and practices.

  FAQ

  What is an information security policy?

  An information security policy is a document containing an overarching strategy for securing all elements of an organization’s information environment.

  What does the information security policy development process entail?

  An information security policy development process involves all the stages you follow to ensure that the policy you create is comprehensive and effective. The stages may differ from one organization to another but generally include the following:

  • Defining the scope and objectives of the policy
  • Conducting a risk assessment
  • Defining the policy
  • Communicating the policy
  • Implementing and maintaining the policy
  • Monitoring and updating the policy

  Where can someone find the information security policy?

  There isn’t a specific location or place where organizations store or keep InfoSec policies. While some organizations may store these policy documents in just one place, others keep them in multiple places, such as the company intranet, internal company social networks, employee handbooks or manuals, web-based portals, and physical notice boards.

  What are the five elements of information security policy?

  For an information security policy to be effective, it must address these five elements: confidentiality, integrity, availability, authentication and non-repudiation.

  Ilia Sotnikov is Security Strategist & Vice President of User Experience at Netwrix. He has over 20 years of experience in cybersecurity as well as IT management experience during his time at Netwrix, Quest Software, and Dell. In his current role, Ilia is responsible for technical enablement, UX design, and product vision across the entire product portfolio. Ilia’s main areas of expertise are data security and risk management. He works closely with analysts from firms such as Gartner, Forrester, and KuppingerCole to gain a deeper understanding of market trends, technology developments, and changes in the cybersecurity landscape. In addition, Ilia is a regular contributor at Forbes Tech Council where he shares his knowledge and insights regarding cyber threats and security best practices with the broader IT and business community.