# CIS Controls v8 1.2 — Address Unauthorized Assets

- Source: https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/1-2-address-unauthorized-assets
- Section: [Compliance](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance) › [CIS Critical Security Controls v8](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8) › Control 1 — Inventory and Control of Enterprise Assets
- Last updated: 2026-06-05
- Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com)

**CIS Controls v8**·Control `1.2`·critical·Component: **Respond**

## What this control requires

> Ensure that a process exists to address unauthorized assets on a weekly basis. The enterprise may choose to remove the asset from the network, deny the asset from connecting remotely to the network, or quarantine the asset.
> 
> — CIS Controls v8, Control 1.2

### In plain English

Ensure that a process exists to address unauthorized assets on a weekly basis. In practice, this means you can prove you address network-level controls on a defined cadence.

## Why it matters

The CIS Controls are an industry-vetted, prioritised defence: skipping a safeguard widens the attack surface that the safeguards above and below it assume is closed. Audit frameworks (FedRAMP, PCI DSS, HIPAA) all cite CIS as evidence of due care.

This control is rated **critical** in the source catalogue. Treat gaps here as production incidents in the risk register, not housekeeping.

## What an auditor looks for

A CIS-aligned reviewer wants to see (a) which Implementation Group you are targeting, (b) a documented owner for the safeguard, and (c) a tooling or process artefact (config, scan output, ticket) that proves the safeguard runs on the cadence the control demands.

Within **Respond**, the assessor will trace your implementation back to the catalogue reference (Control 1.2) and look for objective evidence on the latest two assessment cycles.

## How to implement

#### 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.

#### 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

-   **Address.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Ensure.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Scope:** network, remotely, enterprise.

## Evidence to collect

-   **Policy Document.** A signed and version-controlled policy / standard / procedure document.
-   **Infra Scan.** Continuous infrastructure-posture telemetry — AWS Config, Azure Policy compliance, GCP Organisation Policy, Wiz / Prisma findings.

Signed policy or standard documents the safeguard. Focus: Address Unauthorized Assets.

## Common pitfalls

-   Default-allow egress rules; East-West traffic with no segmentation; jump hosts on the public internet with password auth.
-   Policies that no engineer has read; the version in Confluence drifts from the version that's actually being enforced.

## Related controls in CIS Controls v8

-   [**Control 17.3** — Establish and Maintain an Enterprise Process for Reporting Incidents](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/17-3-establish-and-maintain-an-enterprise-process-for-reporting-incidents)
-   [**Control 2.3** — Address Unauthorized Software](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/2-3-address-unauthorized-software)
-   [**Control 12.4** — Establish and Maintain Architecture Diagram(s)](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/12-4-establish-and-maintain-architecture-diagram-s)
-   [**Control 3.12** — Segment Data Processing and Storage Based on Sensitivity](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/3-12-segment-data-processing-and-storage-based-on-sensitivity)
-   [**Control 7.3** — Perform Automated Operating System Patch Management](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/7-3-perform-automated-operating-system-patch-management)
-   [**Control 8.10** — Retain Audit Logs](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/8-10-retain-audit-logs)

## References

-   [Center for Internet Security — CIS Controls v8](https://www.cisecurity.org/controls/v8)
-   Catalogue identifier: `Control 1.2`

Topics: governance risknetwork securitypolicy 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.