# BSI C5:2020 IDM-08 — Confidentiality of authentication information - Source: https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/idm-08-confidentiality-of-authentication-information - Section: [Compliance](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance) › [BSI C5:2020 (Cloud Computing Compliance Criteria)](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020) › Identity & Access Management (IDM) - Last updated: 2026-06-05 - Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com) **BSI C5:2020**·Criterion `IDM-08`·high·Component: **Identity & Access Management** ## What this control requires > Ensures password confidentiality through user-created or mandatory initial changes, enforcing IDM-12 specifications and secure storage with strong hash functions. Mitigates risks via analysis, protecting cloud customer data from credential compromise. > > — BSI C5:2020, Criterion IDM-08 ### In plain English Ensures password confidentiality through user-created or mandatory initial changes, enforcing IDM-12 specifications and secure storage with strong hash functions. In practice, this means you can prove you information 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. 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-08) 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 - **Information.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Review.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Confidentiality.** 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. - **Scope:** protection, cloud customer data, authentication information, 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: Confidentiality of authentication information. ## 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. - [**SOC 2 (2017 TSC) P5.1** — Data Subject Access to Personal Information](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria/p5-1-data-subject-access-to-personal-information) - [**NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 SC-23** — Session Authenticity](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/sc-23-session-authenticity) - [**NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 3 3.13.4** — Information in Shared System Resources](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-171-rev-3/3-13-4-information-in-shared-system-resources) - [**ISO/IEC 27001:2022 A.5.2** — Information security roles and responsibilities](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022/a-5-2-information-security-roles-and-responsibilities) - [**GDPR Article 13** — Information to be provided where personal data are collected from the data subject](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/gdpr/article-13-information-to-be-provided-where-personal-data-are-collected-from-the-data) ## Related controls in BSI C5:2020 - [**Criterion PSS-07** — Confidentiality of Authentication Information](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/pss-07-confidentiality-of-authentication-information) - [**Criterion IDM-03** — Locking and withdrawal of user accounts in the event of inactivity or multiple failed logins](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/idm-03-locking-and-withdrawal-of-user-accounts-in-the-event-of-inactivity-or-multiple) - [**Criterion IDM-07** — Access to cloud customer data](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/idm-07-access-to-cloud-customer-data) - [**Criterion IDM-04** — Withdraw or adjust access rights as the task area changes](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/idm-04-withdraw-or-adjust-access-rights-as-the-task-area-changes) - [**Criterion IDM-05** — Regular review of access rights](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/idm-05-regular-review-of-access-rights) - [**Criterion PSS-09** — Authorisation Mechanisms](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/pss-09-authorisation-mechanisms) ## References - [Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik (BSI) — BSI C5:2020](https://www.bsi.bund.de/EN/Topics/CloudComputing/Compliance_Criteria_Catalogue/Compliance_Criteria_Catalogue_node.html) - Catalogue identifier: `Criterion IDM-08` Topics: identity accessdata protectionidentity managementaccess reviewprivileged accesscloud posture ## Related compliance guidance - [SOC 2 compliance: a practical implementation guide for cloud-native SaaS teams](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria): Configuration checks like this one are the technical half of a SOC 2 / ISO 27001 programme — the guide shows where they fit, what else an auditor expects, and how to evidence them. - [ISO/IEC 27001:2022 compliance: a practical implementation guide](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022): ISO 27001 Annex A.8 (technological controls) is where cloud hardening evidence lands; the guide shows how to run the ISMS around it.