Security Program and Policies

Everything you need to know about information security programs and policies, in one book

• Clearly explains all facets of InfoSec program and policy planning, development, deployment, and management
• Thoroughly updated for today’s challenges, laws, regulations, and best practices
• The perfect resource for anyone pursuing an information security management career

In today’s dangerous world, failures in information security can be catastrophic. Organizations must protect themselves. Protection begins with comprehensive, realistic policies. This up-to-date guide will help you create, deploy, and manage them.

Complete and easy to understand, it explains key concepts and techniques through real-life examples. You’ll master modern information security regulations and frameworks, and learn specific best-practice policies for key industry sectors, including finance, healthcare, online commerce, and small business.

If you understand basic information security, you’re ready to succeed with this book. You’ll find projects, questions, exercises, examples, links to valuable easy-to-adapt information security policies...everything you need to implement a successful information security program.

Sari Stern Greene, CISSP, CRISC, CISM, NSA/IAM, is an information security practitioner, author, and entrepreneur. She is passionate about the importance of protecting information and critical infrastructure. Sari founded Sage Data Security in 2002 and has amassed thousands of hours in the field working with a spectrum of technical, operational, and management personnel, as  well as boards of directors, regulators, and service providers. Her first text was Tools and Techniques for Securing Microsoft Networks, commissioned by Microsoft to train its partner channel, which was soon followed by the first edition of Security Policies and Procedures: Principles and Practices. She is actively involved in the security community, and speaks regularly at security conferences and workshops. She has been quoted in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and on CNN, and CNBC. Since 2010, Sari has served as the chair of the annual Cybercrime Symposium.

Learn how to

·         Establish program objectives, elements, domains, and governance

·         Understand policies, standards, procedures, guidelines, and plans—and the differences among them

·         Write policies in “plain language,” with the right level of detail

·         Apply the Confidentiality, Integrity & Availability (CIA) security model

·         Use NIST resources and ISO/IEC 27000-series standards

·         Align security with business strategy

·         Define, inventory, and classify your information and systems

·         Systematically identify, prioritize, and manage InfoSec risks

·         Reduce “people-related” risks with role-based Security Education, Awareness, and Training (SETA)

·         Implement effective physical, environmental, communications, and operational security

·         Effectively manage access control

·         Secure the entire system development lifecycle

·         Respond to incidents and ensure continuity of operations

·         Comply with laws and regulations, including GLBA, HIPAA/HITECH, FISMA, state data security and notification rules, and PCI DSS

Chapter 1: Understanding Policy 2

Looking at Policy Through the Ages....................................................................3

    The Bible as Ancient Policy ........................................................................4

    The United States Constitution as a Policy Revolution ..............................5

    Policy Today ...............................................................................................5

Information Security Policy ..................................................................................7

    Successful Policy Characteristics ...............................................................8

    The Role of Government ...........................................................................13

Information Security Policy Lifecycle ................................................................16

    Policy Development ..................................................................................17

    Policy Publication .....................................................................................18

    Policy Adoption .........................................................................................19

    Policy Review ............................................................................................20

Test Your Skills ..................................................................................................22

Chapter 2: Policy Elements and Style 32

Policy Hierarchy .................................................................................................32

    Standards..................................................................................................33

    Baselines ...................................................................................................34

    Guidelines .................................................................................................34

    Procedures ................................................................................................35

    Plans and Programs..................................................................................36

Policy Format .....................................................................................................36

    Policy Audience ........................................................................................36

    Policy Format Types .................................................................................37

    Policy Components ...................................................................................38

Writing Style and Technique ..............................................................................48

    Using Plain Language ...............................................................................48

    The Plain Language Movement ................................................................49

    Plain Language Techniques for Policy Writing .........................................50

Test Your Skills ..................................................................................................54

Chapter 3: Information Security Framework 64

CIA .....................................................................................................................65

    What Is Confidentiality? ............................................................................66

    What Is Integrity? ......................................................................................68

    What Is Availability? ..................................................................................69

    Who Is Responsible for CIA? ....................................................................72

Information Security Framework .......................................................................72

    What Is NIST’s Function? .........................................................................72

    What Does the ISO Do? ............................................................................74

    Can the ISO Standards and NIST Publications Be Used to Build a Framework? ......75

Test Your Skills ..................................................................................................82

Chapter 4: Governance and Risk Management 92

Understanding Information Security Policies ....................................................93

    What Is Meant by Strategic Alignment? ...................................................94

    Regulatory Requirements .........................................................................94

    User Versions of Information Security Policies .........................................94

    Vendor Versions of Information Security Policies .....................................95

    Client Synopsis of Information Security Policies ......................................95

    Who Authorizes Information Security Policy? ...........................................96

    Revising Information Security Policies: Change Drivers ...........................97

    Evaluating Information Security Polices ...................................................97

Information Security Governance ....................................................................100

    What Is a Distributed Governance Model? .............................................101

    Regulatory Requirements .......................................................................104

Information Security Risk ................................................................................105

    Is Risk Bad? ............................................................................................105

    Risk Appetite and Tolerance ...................................................................106

    What Is a Risk Assessment? ...................................................................106

    Risk Assessment Methodologies ............................................................108

    What Is Risk Management? ....................................................................109

Test Your Skills ................................................................................................113

Chapter 5: Asset Management 124

Information Assets and Systems .....................................................................125

    Who Is Responsible for Information Assets? ..........................................126

Information Classification ................................................................................128

    How Does the Federal Government Classify Data? ...............................129

    Why Is National Security Information Classified Differently? ..................131

    Who Decides How National Security Data Is Classified? .......................133

    How Does the Private Sector Classify Data?..........................................134

    Can Information Be Reclassified or Even Declassified? .........................135

Labeling and Handling Standards ...................................................................136

    Why Label? .............................................................................................136

    Why Handling Standards? ......................................................................136

Information Systems Inventory ........................................................................139

    What Should Be Inventoried? .................................................................139

Test Your Skills ................................................................................................145

Chapter 6: Human Resources Security 156

The Employee Lifecycle ...................................................................................157

    What Does Recruitment Have to Do with Security? ...............................158

    What Happens in the Onboarding Phase? .............................................165

    What Is User Provisioning? .....................................................................166

    What Should an Employee Learn During Orientation? ...........................167

    Why Is Termination Considered the Most Dangerous Phase? ...............168

The Importance of Employee Agreements ......................................................170

    What Are Confidentiality or Non-disclosure Agreements? .....................170

    What Is an Acceptable Use Agreement? ................................................170

The Importance of Security Education and Training .......................................172

    What Is the SETA Model? .......................................................................173

Test Your Skills ................................................................................................177

Chapter 7: Physical and Environmental Security 188

Understanding the Secure Facility Layered Defense Model .....................190

    How Do We Secure the Site? .................................................................190

    How Is Physical Access Controlled? ......................................................192

Protecting Equipment ......................................................................................196

    No Power, No Processing? .....................................................................196

    How Dangerous Is Fire? .........................................................................198

    What About Disposal? ............................................................................200

    Stop, Thief! ..............................................................................................203