HR-03·medium·Component: Human Resources SecurityWhat this control requires
Operates a regular, target group-oriented security training program for employees, updated based on policy changes and threats. Covers system handling, data protection, threat awareness, and incident response to ensure secure operations and protect cloud customer data.
In plain English
Operates a regular, target group-oriented security training program for employees, updated based on policy changes and threats. In practice, this means you can prove you security protection-level controls on a defined cadence.
Why it matters
BSI C5 is the default cloud-security baseline German public-sector buyers and many DAX-listed enterprises expect; gaps here directly block procurement in the DACH region and frequently appear as must-have items in EU public-tender documents.
What an auditor looks for
A C5 attesting auditor (under ISAE 3000 / IDW PS 860) tests both the design and — for a Type 2 — the operating effectiveness over the attestation period. For each criterion they look for both the Basic and any in-scope Additional objectives.
Within Human Resources Security, the assessor will trace your implementation back to the catalogue reference (Criterion HR-03) and look for objective evidence on the latest two assessment cycles.
How to implement
Incident Response
Runbook. Maintain a runbook keyed by incident type with named roles (IC, comms, scribe), an out-of-band comms channel, and a 72-hour timeline for external notification.
Tabletop. Run a quarterly tabletop exercise (ransomware, insider, supply-chain) and feed gaps back into the runbook.
Cloud Posture
CSPM. Run Wiz / Prisma / Defender for Cloud / Security Command Center over every account; auto-ticket findings above your accepted-risk threshold.
Operational checklist
- Security. Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
- Protection. Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
- Data. Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
- Policy. Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
- Secure. Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
- Scope: protection, cloud customer data, changes, management.
Evidence to collect
- Ticketing Workflow.
ticketing_workflowevidence
Workflow metrics (ServiceNow, Jira) show approvals and remediation. Focus: Security training and awareness programme.
Common pitfalls
- Runbooks that name a role but no person, or list a paging channel that no longer exists.
- Treating CSPM findings as a backlog instead of a hot queue: findings older than the policy SLA accumulate until the auditor asks why.
How it maps to other frameworks
Computed from shared tags, control component and key-operation subjects — handy when you are reconciling controls across an audit.
- NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 CP-3 — Contingency Training
- NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 3 3.6.4 — Incident Response Training
- SOC 2 (2017 TSC) CC7.4 — Incident Response
Related controls in BSI C5:2020
- Criterion DEV-03 — Policies for changes to information systems
- Criterion OPS-15 — Logging and Monitoring - Accountability
- Criterion DEV-09 — Approvals for provision in the production environment
- Criterion AM-04 — Decommissioning of Hardware
- Criterion SIM-04 — Duty of the users to report security incidents to a central body
- Criterion HR-02 — Employment terms and conditions
References
- Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik (BSI) — BSI C5:2020
- Catalogue identifier:
Criterion HR-03
Topics: incident responseawareness trainingchange managementcloud posturesecurity training