# CIS Controls v8 15.7 — Securely Decommission Service Providers

- Source: https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/15-7-securely-decommission-service-providers
- Section: [Compliance](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance) › [CIS Critical Security Controls v8](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8) › Control 15 — Service Provider Management
- Last updated: 2026-06-05
- Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com)

**CIS Controls v8**·Control `15.7`·medium·Component: **Protect**

## What this control requires

> Securely decommission service providers. Example considerations include user and service account deactivation, termination of data flows, and secure disposal of enterprise data within service provider systems.
> 
> — CIS Controls v8, Control 15.7

### In plain English

Securely decommission service providers. In practice, this means you can prove you securely data flows-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.

## 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 **Protect**, the assessor will trace your implementation back to the catalogue reference (Control 15.7) and look for objective evidence on the latest two assessment cycles.

## How to implement

1.  Write a short policy stating intent, scope and named owner.
2.  Encode it as a platform guardrail — SCP, Azure Policy initiative, Organisation Policy, or repository policy.
3.  Wire a monitoring signal that catches drift (CSPM rule, SIEM rule, scheduled query, Workspace alert) and ticket it.
4.  Review on a documented cadence and capture the review in the risk register or compliance tracker.

### Operational checklist

-   **Securely.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Protect.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Scope:** data flows, disposal, user, service, service providers, decommission service providers, service account deactivation, enterprise.

## Evidence to collect

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

Third-party risk management evidence (assessments, contracts, due diligence) shows supplier oversight. Focus: Securely Decommission Service Providers.

## Related controls in CIS Controls v8

-   [**Control 9.1** — Ensure Use of Only Fully Supported Browsers and Email Clients](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/9-1-ensure-use-of-only-fully-supported-browsers-and-email-clients)
-   [**Control 3.8** — Document Data Flows](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/3-8-document-data-flows)
-   [**Control 15.1** — Establish and Maintain an Inventory of Service Providers](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/15-1-establish-and-maintain-an-inventory-of-service-providers)
-   [**Control 3.13** — Deploy a Data Loss Prevention Solution](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/3-13-deploy-a-data-loss-prevention-solution)
-   [**Control 15.3** — Classify Service Providers](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/15-3-classify-service-providers)
-   [**Control 15.6** — Monitor Service Providers](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/15-6-monitor-service-providers)

## References

-   [Center for Internet Security — CIS Controls v8](https://www.cisecurity.org/controls/v8)
-   Catalogue identifier: `Control 15.7`

Topics: vendor riskvendor managementsupply chain securitythird party monitoring

## 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.