BSI C5:2020·Criterion OIS-07·high·Component: Information Security Governance

What this control requires

Executes annual risk management processes per OIS-06, addressing data processing with varying protection needs, technical weaknesses, public network attacks, unseparated tasks, and third-party dependencies. Reviews risk analysis and residual risk acceptance to ensure adequate protection of cloud customer data.
— BSI C5:2020, Criterion OIS-07

In plain English

Executes annual risk management processes per OIS-06, addressing data processing with varying protection needs, technical weaknesses, public network attacks, unseparated tasks, and third-party dependencies. In practice, this means you can prove you information management policy-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 Information Security Governance, the assessor will trace your implementation back to the catalogue reference (Criterion OIS-07) 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.

Network Security

AWS. VPC Flow Logs to S3, default-deny security groups, AWS Network Firewall for north-south, and Transit Gateway for hub-and-spoke segmentation.

Azure. NSGs with deny-by-default, Azure Firewall Premium with TLS inspection, Private Endpoints for PaaS, and Microsoft Defender for Cloud's secure score for drift.

GCP. VPC Service Controls perimeters around sensitive APIs, Cloud NGFW Enterprise for L7 inspection, Private Service Connect for managed services.

Operational checklist

  • Information. Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
  • Risk. Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
  • Application. Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
  • Security. Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
  • Protection. Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
  • Scope: management policy, risk management policy, protection, cloud customer data.

Evidence to collect

  • Vendor Risk Management. vendor_risk_management evidence
  • Policy Document. A signed and version-controlled policy / standard / procedure document.

Third-party risk management evidence (assessments, contracts, due diligence) shows supplier oversight. Signed policy or standard documents the safeguard. Focus: Application of the Risk Management Policy.

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.
  • Default-allow egress rules; East-West traffic with no segmentation; jump hosts on the public internet with password auth.

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.

Related controls in BSI C5:2020

References

Topics: governance riskvendor riskvendor managementsupply chain securitycloud posturenetwork security