Security frameworks
CIS Controls
Center for Internet Security · Global
A prioritised set of 18 safeguards that stop the most common attacks.
Issuer
Center for Internet Security
Applies in
Global
Category
Security frameworks
The practitioner view
Working with CIS Controls
What CIS Controls is
A prioritised set of 18 safeguards that stop the most common attacks. It is issued by Center for Internet Security and applies across every jurisdiction. Our assessors work against it directly, so what follows is the practitioner view rather than a restatement of the text.
Who it binds
Applicability turns on what you process and who regulates you, not on your size. If Center for Internet Security sets your rules, or a customer contract names CIS Controls, you are in scope. We map that boundary first, because an over-drawn scope is the single most expensive mistake in any programme.
What an assessor looks for
Evidence that the control operated, not that it was written down. Expect sampling across the period, interviews with the control owners, and a request for the artefacts that prove the control ran on the days it was supposed to. Policies without operating evidence are the most common finding we raise.
How to get ready
Scope it, assess the gap against the current version, remediate in priority order, then collect evidence continuously rather than in the fortnight before the audit. Evidence lag is what slips dates, not the controls themselves.
Free tools
Put a number on it before you call anyone
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Talk to us
Need CIS Controls applied to your environment?
A senior, CERT-In empanelled assessor will map the applicable controls, tell you what evidence satisfies them, and size the remediation honestly.
support@threatsys.co.in