# CIS Controls v8 3.12 — Segment Data Processing and Storage Based on Sensitivity - Source: https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/3-12-segment-data-processing-and-storage-based-on-sensitivity - Section: [Compliance](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance) › [CIS Critical Security Controls v8](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8) › Control 3 — Data Protection - Last updated: 2026-06-05 - Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com) **CIS Controls v8**·Control `3.12`·high·Component: **Protect** ## What this control requires > Segment data processing and storage based on the sensitivity of the data. Do not process sensitive data on enterprise assets intended for lower sensitivity data. > > — CIS Controls v8, Control 3.12 ### In plain English Segment data processing and storage based on the sensitivity of the data. In practice, this means you can prove you segment 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 **high**. Auditors expect a named owner, a remediation SLA, and a tooling artefact that evidences continuous operation. ## 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 3.12) 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. #### Configuration Management **Policy-as-code.** Codify the control as Service Control Policies (AWS), Azure Policy initiatives, or Organisation Policy (GCP) so the platform enforces what the document promises. **IaC.** Gate Terraform / Pulumi / CloudFormation changes with Checkov / tfsec / OPA so misconfigurations never reach production. **Drift.** Run a CSPM (Wiz / Prisma / Defender for Cloud / Security Command Center) over every account and route findings to a single risk register. #### 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 - **Segment.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Protect.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Scope:** network, sensitive, data, enterprise. ## Evidence to collect - **Infra Scan.** Continuous infrastructure-posture telemetry — AWS Config, Azure Policy compliance, GCP Organisation Policy, Wiz / Prisma findings. - **Policy Document.** A signed and version-controlled policy / standard / procedure document. Infrastructure posture tooling (AWS Config, Azure Policy, Nessus) verifies platform hardening. Signed policy or standard documents the safeguard. Focus: Segment Data Processing and Storage Based on Sensitivity. ## 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. - Manual cloud-console changes that never make it back to Terraform — drift accumulates until the next outage forces a reconciliation. - 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. ## 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. - [**GDPR Article 25** — Data protection by design and by default](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/gdpr/article-25-data-protection-by-design-and-by-default) - [**BSI C5:2020 OPS-23** — Managing Vulnerabilities, Malfunctions and Errors - System Hardening](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/ops-23-managing-vulnerabilities-malfunctions-and-errors-system-hardening) ## Related controls in CIS Controls v8 - [**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 10.3** — Disable Autorun and Autoplay for Removable Media](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/10-3-disable-autorun-and-autoplay-for-removable-media) - [**Control 16.8** — Separate Production and Non-Production Systems](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/16-8-separate-production-and-non-production-systems) - [**Control 3.9** — Encrypt Data on Removable Media](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/3-9-encrypt-data-on-removable-media) - [**Control 8.10** — Retain Audit Logs](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/8-10-retain-audit-logs) - [**Control 16.14** — Conduct Threat Modeling](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/16-14-conduct-threat-modeling) ## References - [Center for Internet Security — CIS Controls v8](https://www.cisecurity.org/controls/v8) - Catalogue identifier: `Control 3.12` Topics: governance riskcloud postureconfiguration managementnetwork 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.