# BSI C5:2020 SSO-02 — Risk assessment of service providers and suppliers

- Source: https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/sso-02-risk-assessment-of-service-providers-and-suppliers
- Section: [Compliance](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance) › [BSI C5:2020 (Cloud Computing Compliance Criteria)](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020) › Supplier & Service Oversight (SSO)
- Last updated: 2026-06-05
- Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com)

**BSI C5:2020**·Criterion `SSO-02`·high·Component: **Supplier & Service Oversight**

## What this control requires

> Conducts and annually reviews risk assessments for third parties per SSO-01, evaluating confidentiality, integrity, and dependency risks. Documents mitigation measures to ensure secure service delivery and protect cloud customer data.
> 
> — BSI C5:2020, Criterion SSO-02

### In plain English

Conducts and annually reviews risk assessments for third parties per SSO-01, evaluating confidentiality, integrity, and dependency risks. In practice, this means you can prove you risk dependency-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 **Supplier & Service Oversight**, the assessor will trace your implementation back to the catalogue reference (Criterion SSO-02) 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

-   **Risk.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Security.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Confidentiality.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Data.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Secure.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Scope:** dependency, measures, cloud customer data, management.

## Evidence to collect

-   **Vendor Risk Management.** `vendor_risk_management` evidence

Third-party risk management evidence (assessments, contracts, due diligence) shows supplier oversight. Focus: Risk assessment of service providers and suppliers.

## 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.

-   [**CIS Controls v8 3.8** — Document Data Flows](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/3-8-document-data-flows)
-   [**ISO/IEC 27001:2022 A.5.19** — Information security in supplier relationships](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022/a-5-19-information-security-in-supplier-relationships)
-   [**SOC 2 (2017 TSC) CC9.2** — Vendor Risk Management](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria/cc9-2-vendor-risk-management)
-   [**GDPR Article 28** — Processor](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/gdpr/article-28-processor)
-   [**ISO/IEC 27701:2025 A.3.10** — Supplier agreements](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27701-2025/a-3-10-supplier-agreements)

## Related controls in BSI C5:2020

-   [**Criterion SSO-01** — Policies and instructions for controlling and monitoring third parties](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/sso-01-policies-and-instructions-for-controlling-and-monitoring-third-parties)
-   [**Criterion SSO-03** — Directory of service providers and suppliers](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/sso-03-directory-of-service-providers-and-suppliers)
-   [**Criterion SSO-05** — Exit strategy for the receipt of benefits](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/sso-05-exit-strategy-for-the-receipt-of-benefits)
-   [**Criterion SSO-04** — Monitoring of compliance with requirements](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/sso-04-monitoring-of-compliance-with-requirements)
-   [**Criterion COS-03** — Monitoring of connections in the Cloud Service Provider's network](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/cos-03-monitoring-of-connections-in-the-cloud-service-provider-s-network)
-   [**Criterion OIS-07** — Application of the Risk Management Policy](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/ois-07-application-of-the-risk-management-policy)

## 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 SSO-02`

Topics: governance riskvendor riskvendor managementsupply chain securitycloud postureidentity 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.
