# BSI C5:2020 SIM-03 — Documentation and reporting of security incidents - Source: https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/sim-03-documentation-and-reporting-of-security-incidents - Section: [Compliance](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance) › [BSI C5:2020 (Cloud Computing Compliance Criteria)](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020) › Security Incident Management (SIM) - Last updated: 2026-06-05 - Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com) **BSI C5:2020**·Criterion `SIM-03`·high·Component: **Security Incident Management** ## What this control requires > Documents incident resolutions and reports to affected customers per agreements for acknowledgment. Ensures transparency and accountability, enabling customers to verify incident handling and maintain trust in cloud data security. > > — BSI C5:2020, Criterion SIM-03 ### In plain English Documents incident resolutions and reports to affected customers per agreements for acknowledgment. In practice, this means you can prove you documentation, agreements-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 **Security Incident Management**, the assessor will trace your implementation back to the catalogue reference (Criterion SIM-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. #### Policy Management **Docs.** Keep each policy in version-controlled Markdown alongside the code that implements it; ship a signed PDF snapshot at each annual review and link the SHA into the SoA. ### Operational checklist - **Documentation,.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Security.** 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. - **Scope:** agreements, - accountability, security incident management, security incidents. ## Evidence to collect - **Ticketing Workflow.** `ticketing_workflow` evidence Workflow metrics (ServiceNow, Jira) show approvals and remediation. Focus: Documentation and reporting of security incidents. ## 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. - Policies that no engineer has read; the version in Confluence drifts from the version that's actually being enforced. ## 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.5.27** — Learning from information security incidents](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022/a-5-27-learning-from-information-security-incidents) - [**NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 IR-6** — Incident Reporting](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/ir-6-incident-reporting) - [**NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 3 3.6.2** — Incident Monitoring, Reporting, and Response Assistance](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-171-rev-3/3-6-2-incident-monitoring-reporting-and-response-assistance) - [**CIS Controls v8 17.4** — Establish and Maintain an Incident Response Process](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/17-4-establish-and-maintain-an-incident-response-process) - [**SOC 2 (2017 TSC) CC7.4** — Incident Response](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria/cc7-4-incident-response) ## Related controls in BSI C5:2020 - [**Criterion SIM-04** — Duty of the users to report security incidents to a central body](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/sim-04-duty-of-the-users-to-report-security-incidents-to-a-central-body) - [**Criterion SIM-01** — Policy for security incident management](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/sim-01-policy-for-security-incident-management) - [**Criterion SIM-05** — Evaluation and learning process](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/sim-05-evaluation-and-learning-process) - [**Criterion OPS-21** — Involvement of Cloud customers in the event of incidents](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/ops-21-involvement-of-cloud-customers-in-the-event-of-incidents) - [**Criterion SIM-02** — Processing of security incidents](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/sim-02-processing-of-security-incidents) - [**Criterion OPS-15** — Logging and Monitoring - Accountability](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/ops-15-logging-and-monitoring-accountability) ## 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 SIM-03` Topics: incident responsechange managementcloud posturepolicy management ## 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.