BSI C5:2020 IDM-04 — Withdraw or adjust access rights as the task area changes

What this control requires

Revokes or adjusts access rights promptly upon job changes, within 48 hours for privileged access and 14 days for others, requiring re-approval per IDM-02. Ensures alignment with current roles, protecting cloud customer data from unauthorized access.

In plain English

Revokes or adjusts access rights promptly upon job changes, within 48 hours for privileged access and 14 days for others, requiring re-approval per IDM-02. In practice, this means you can prove you review access rights-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.

This control is rated high. Auditors expect a named owner, a remediation SLA, and a tooling artefact that evidences continuous operation.

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 Identity & Access Management, the assessor will trace your implementation back to the catalogue reference (Criterion IDM-04) and look for objective evidence on the latest two assessment cycles.

How to implement

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

• Review. Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
• Data. Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
• Withdraw. Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
• Access. Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
• Roles. Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
• Scope: access rights, cloud customer data, changes, management.

Evidence to collect

• Identity Scan. IAM / IdP exports — Entra ID, Okta, IAM Identity Center, Workspace directory — showing accounts, roles, MFA state and last sign-in.

Identity analytics (Okta, SailPoint, Access Analyzer) demonstrates least-privilege. Focus: Withdraw or adjust access rights as the task area changes.

Common pitfalls

• 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.

• ISO/IEC 27001:2022 A.8.2 — Privileged access rights
• ISO/IEC 27701:2025 A.3.9 — Access rights
• SOC 2 (2017 TSC) CC6.2 — Access Provisioning
• NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 AC-6(6) — Privileged Access By Non-Organizational Users
• NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 3 3.1.7 — Least Privilege - Privileged Functions

Related controls in BSI C5:2020

• Criterion IDM-01 — Policy for user accounts and access rights
• Criterion IDM-05 — Regular review of access rights
• Criterion IDM-06 — Privileged access rights
• Criterion IDM-03 — Locking and withdrawal of user accounts in the event of inactivity or multiple failed logins
• Criterion IDM-02 — Granting and change of user accounts and access rights
• Criterion IDM-07 — Access to cloud customer data

References

• Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik (BSI) — BSI C5:2020
• Catalogue identifier: Criterion IDM-04

Topics: identity accessprivileged accessidentity managementaccess reviewcloud posture