Policies and Procedures

Policies and Procedures (also “Internal Regulatory Framework” or “Security Documentation”) are the internal regulatory framework that establishes rules, guidelines, and processes for effective information security management in an organization. Policies define high-level security principles and objectives, while procedures detail the specific steps to implement and comply with these policies, being fundamental for information security governance and regulatory compliance, providing clear guidance to employees and ensuring consistent implementation of security controls across the organization.

What are Policies and Procedures?

Policies define the “what” and “why” of security, while procedures define the “how” and when" of implementation, providing a coherent framework for security management.

Document Types

Policies

  • Information Security Policy: Main policy
  • Specific Policies: Policies by domain
  • Technical Policies: Technical policies
  • Compliance Policies: Compliance policies

Procedures

  • Operational Procedures: Daily procedures
  • Emergency Procedures: Crisis procedures
  • Compliance Procedures: Audit procedures
  • Management Procedures: Administrative procedures

Standards

  • Technical Standards: Implementation standards
  • Process Standards: Procedure standards
  • Quality Standards: Quality standards
  • Compliance Standards: Regulatory standards

Policy Structure

Main Policy

 1
 2
 3
 4
 5
 6
 7
 8
 9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
class SecurityPolicy:
    def __init__(self):
        self.policy_structure = {
            'header': {
                'title': 'Information Security Policy',
                'version': '2.0',
                'effective_date': '2025-01-01',
                'review_date': '2026-01-01',
                'approval': 'CISO',
                'classification': 'Internal'
            },
            'sections': {
                '1.0': {
                    'title': 'Purpose and Scope',
                    'content': [
                        'Establish information security framework',
                        'Protect information assets',
                        'Comply with applicable regulations',
                        'Apply to all employees and systems'
                    ]
                },
                '2.0': {
                    'title': 'Definitions',
                    'content': [
                        'Confidential information',
                        'Information assets',
                        'Security incidents',
                        'Security controls'
                    ]
                },
                '3.0': {
                    'title': 'Responsibilities',
                    'content': [
                        'CISO: Strategy and supervision',
                        'Managers: Local implementation',
                        'Employees: Compliance',
                        'IT: Technical implementation'
                    ]
                },
                '4.0': {
                    'title': 'Security Principles',
                    'content': [
                        'Confidentiality',
                        'Integrity',
                        'Availability',
                        'Compliance'
                    ]
                },
                '5.0': {
                    'title': 'Required Controls',
                    'content': [
                        'Access control',
                        'Data encryption',
                        'Security monitoring',
                        'Incident response'
                    ]
                }
            }
        }
    
    def get_policy_section(self, section_number):
        """Get policy section"""
        return self.policy_structure['sections'].get(section_number, {})
    
    def get_all_sections(self):
        """Get all sections"""
        return list(self.policy_structure['sections'].keys())

# Usage example
policy = SecurityPolicy()
purpose_section = policy.get_policy_section('1.0')
print(f"Purpose section: {purpose_section}")

Specific Policies

 1
 2
 3
 4
 5
 6
 7
 8
 9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
class SpecificPolicies:
    def __init__(self):
        self.policies = {
            'Access_Control_Policy': {
                'title': 'Access Control Policy',
                'scope': 'Information systems',
                'requirements': [
                    'Multi-factor authentication',
                    'Principle of least privilege',
                    'Regular access review',
                    'Segregation of duties'
                ],
                'compliance': ['ISO 27001', 'NIST', 'GDPR']
            },
            'Data_Classification_Policy': {
                'title': 'Data Classification Policy',
                'scope': 'All information',
                'requirements': [
                    'Classification by sensitivity',
                    'Information labeling',
                    'Handling according to classification',
                    'Secure destruction'
                ],
                'compliance': ['ISO 27001', 'GDPR', 'SOX']
            },
            'Incident_Response_Policy': {
                'title': 'Incident Response Policy',
                'scope': 'Security incidents',
                'requirements': [
                    'Reporting procedure',
                    'Incident escalation',
                    'Containment and eradication',
                    'Lessons learned'
                ],
                'compliance': ['ISO 27001', 'NIST', 'PCI DSS']
            },
            'Remote_Work_Policy': {
                'title': 'Remote Work Policy',
                'scope': 'Remote employees',
                'requirements': [
                    'Mandatory VPN',
                    'Corporate devices',
                    'Security training',
                    'Activity monitoring'
                ],
                'compliance': ['ISO 27001', 'GDPR']
            }
        }
    
    def get_policy_by_name(self, policy_name):
        """Get policy by name"""
        return self.policies.get(policy_name, {})
    
    def get_policies_by_compliance(self, standard):
        """Get policies by compliance standard"""
        matching_policies = []
        for name, policy in self.policies.items():
            if standard in policy.get('compliance', []):
                matching_policies.append(name)
        return matching_policies

# Usage example
specific_policies = SpecificPolicies()
access_policy = specific_policies.get_policy_by_name('Access_Control_Policy')
print(f"Access control policy: {access_policy['title']}")

iso_policies = specific_policies.get_policies_by_compliance('ISO 27001')
print(f"ISO 27001 policies: {iso_policies}")

Operational Procedures

Access Management Procedure

 1
 2
 3
 4
 5
 6
 7
 8
 9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
class AccessManagementProcedure:
    def __init__(self):
        self.procedure_steps = {
            '1': {
                'step': 'Access Request',
                'description': 'Employee requests access to system',
                'responsible': 'Requester',
                'duration': 'Immediate',
                'requirements': [
                    'Request form',
                    'Access justification',
                    'Supervisor approval',
                    'Data classification'
                ]
            },
            '2': {
                'step': 'Risk Assessment',
                'description': 'Assess risk of requested access',
                'responsible': 'Security_Team',
                'duration': '2 business days',
                'requirements': [
                    'Impact analysis',
                    'Control evaluation',
                    'Privilege review',
                    'Decision documentation'
                ]
            },
            '3': {
                'step': 'Approval',
                'description': 'Approve or reject request',
                'responsible': 'Data_Owner',
                'duration': '1 business day',
                'requirements': [
                    'Justification review',
                    'Need verification',
                    'Formal approval',
                    'Requester notification'
                ]
            },
            '4': {
                'step': 'Implementation',
                'description': 'Create account and assign permissions',
                'responsible': 'IT_Admin',
                'duration': '4 hours',
                'requirements': [
                    'Account creation',
                    'Permission assignment',
                    'MFA configuration',
                    'Activation notification'
                ]
            },
            '5': {
                'step': 'Monitoring',
                'description': 'Monitor access usage',
                'responsible': 'Security_Team',
                'duration': 'Ongoing',
                'requirements': [
                    'Activity monitoring',
                    'Access review',
                    'Regular audit',
                    'Anomaly reporting'
                ]
            }
        }
    
    def get_procedure_step(self, step_number):
        """Get procedure step"""
        return self.procedure_steps.get(step_number, {})
    
    def get_total_duration(self):
        """Get total procedure duration"""
        total_days = 0
        for step in self.procedure_steps.values():
            if 'business days' in step['duration']:
                days = int(step['duration'].split()[0])
                total_days += days
        return total_days

# Usage example
access_procedure = AccessManagementProcedure()
step_1 = access_procedure.get_procedure_step('1')
print(f"Step 1: {step_1['step']}")

total_duration = access_procedure.get_total_duration()
print(f"Total duration: {total_duration} business days")

Incident Response Procedure

 1
 2
 3
 4
 5
 6
 7
 8
 9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
class IncidentResponseProcedure:
    def __init__(self):
        self.response_phases = {
            'Preparation': {
                'description': 'Preparation for incident response',
                'activities': [
                    'Team training',
                    'Response tools',
                    'Documented procedures',
                    'Prepared communications'
                ],
                'duration': 'Ongoing'
            },
            'Identification': {
                'description': 'Incident identification',
                'activities': [
                    'Anomaly detection',
                    'Initial classification',
                    'Immediate notification',
                    'Team activation'
                ],
                'duration': '0-1 hour'
            },
            'Containment': {
                'description': 'Incident containment',
                'activities': [
                    'System isolation',
                    'Evidence preservation',
                    'Damage containment',
                    'Internal communication'
                ],
                'duration': '1-4 hours'
            },
            'Eradication': {
                'description': 'Threat eradication',
                'activities': [
                    'Malware removal',
                    'Vulnerability closure',
                    'System cleanup',
                    'Cleanup verification'
                ],
                'duration': '4-24 hours'
            },
            'Recovery': {
                'description': 'Service recovery',
                'activities': [
                    'System restoration',
                    'Functionality verification',
                    'Intensive monitoring',
                    'User communication'
                ],
                'duration': '1-3 days'
            },
            'Lessons_Learned': {
                'description': 'Lessons learned',
                'activities': [
                    'Post-incident analysis',
                    'Improvement identification',
                    'Procedure updates',
                    'Additional training'
                ],
                'duration': '1-2 weeks'
            }
        }
    
    def get_phase_activities(self, phase):
        """Get activities of a phase"""
        return self.response_phases.get(phase, {}).get('activities', [])
    
    def get_critical_phases(self):
        """Get critical phases"""
        critical_phases = []
        for phase, info in self.response_phases.items():
            if info['duration'] in ['0-1 hour', '1-4 hours']:
                critical_phases.append(phase)
        return critical_phases

# Usage example
incident_procedure = IncidentResponseProcedure()
containment_activities = incident_procedure.get_phase_activities('Containment')
print(f"Containment activities: {containment_activities}")

critical_phases = incident_procedure.get_critical_phases()
print(f"Critical phases: {critical_phases}")

Implementation and Compliance

Policy Management System

 1
 2
 3
 4
 5
 6
 7
 8
 9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
class PolicyManagementSystem:
    def __init__(self):
        self.policies = {}
        self.procedures = {}
        self.compliance_status = {}
        self.review_schedule = {}
    
    def add_policy(self, policy_id, policy_data):
        """Add policy"""
        self.policies[policy_id] = {
            **policy_data,
            'status': 'Draft',
            'created_date': '2025-10-26',
            'last_review': None,
            'next_review': '2026-01-26'
        }
    
    def approve_policy(self, policy_id, approver):
        """Approve policy"""
        if policy_id in self.policies:
            self.policies[policy_id]['status'] = 'Approved'
            self.policies[policy_id]['approver'] = approver
            self.policies[policy_id]['approval_date'] = '2025-10-26'
    
    def publish_policy(self, policy_id):
        """Publish policy"""
        if policy_id in self.policies:
            self.policies[policy_id]['status'] = 'Published'
            self.policies[policy_id]['publish_date'] = '2025-10-26'
    
    def get_policies_by_status(self, status):
        """Get policies by status"""
        return [pid for pid, policy in self.policies.items() 
                if policy['status'] == status]
    
    def get_policies_due_for_review(self):
        """Get policies due for review"""
        due_policies = []
        for pid, policy in self.policies.items():
            if policy['next_review'] and policy['next_review'] <= '2025-10-26':
                due_policies.append(pid)
        return due_policies

# Usage example
policy_system = PolicyManagementSystem()
policy_system.add_policy('POL-001', {
    'title': 'Information Security Policy',
    'version': '2.0',
    'owner': 'CISO'
})

policy_system.approve_policy('POL-001', 'CEO')
policy_system.publish_policy('POL-001')

published_policies = policy_system.get_policies_by_status('Published')
print(f"Published policies: {published_policies}")

Compliance System

 1
 2
 3
 4
 5
 6
 7
 8
 9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
class ComplianceSystem:
    def __init__(self):
        self.compliance_frameworks = {
            'ISO_27001': {
                'name': 'ISO/IEC 27001:2022',
                'requirements': [
                    'A.5.1.1 - Policies for Information Security',
                    'A.5.1.2 - Review of Information Security Policies',
                    'A.6.1.1 - Information Security Roles and Responsibilities',
                    'A.8.1.1 - Inventory of Assets',
                    'A.9.1.1 - Access Control Policy'
                ],
                'compliance_level': 'High'
            },
            'GDPR': {
                'name': 'General Data Protection Regulation',
                'requirements': [
                    'Article 32 - Security of Processing',
                    'Article 33 - Notification of Breach',
                    'Article 35 - Data Protection Impact Assessment',
                    'Article 25 - Data Protection by Design',
                    'Article 30 - Records of Processing Activities'
                ],
                'compliance_level': 'High'
            },
            'PCI_DSS': {
                'name': 'Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard',
                'requirements': [
                    'Requirement 1 - Firewall Configuration',
                    'Requirement 2 - Default Passwords',
                    'Requirement 3 - Stored Cardholder Data',
                    'Requirement 4 - Transmission of Cardholder Data',
                    'Requirement 5 - Anti-virus Software'
                ],
                'compliance_level': 'Medium'
            }
        }
        
        self.policy_mapping = {
            'POL-001': ['ISO_27001', 'GDPR'],
            'POL-002': ['ISO_27001', 'PCI_DSS'],
            'POL-003': ['GDPR']
        }
    
    def get_compliance_status(self, policy_id):
        """Get compliance status of a policy"""
        if policy_id not in self.policy_mapping:
            return 'No mapping found'
        
        frameworks = self.policy_mapping[policy_id]
        compliance_status = {}
        
        for framework in frameworks:
            compliance_status[framework] = {
                'name': self.compliance_frameworks[framework]['name'],
                'level': self.compliance_frameworks[framework]['compliance_level'],
                'status': 'Compliant'
            }
        
        return compliance_status
    
    def get_framework_requirements(self, framework):
        """Get requirements of a framework"""
        return self.compliance_frameworks.get(framework, {}).get('requirements', [])

# Usage example
compliance_system = ComplianceSystem()
policy_status = compliance_system.get_compliance_status('POL-001')
print(f"Compliance status: {policy_status}")

iso_requirements = compliance_system.get_framework_requirements('ISO_27001')
print(f"ISO 27001 requirements: {len(iso_requirements)}")

Best Practices

Policy Development

  • Alignment: Alignment with business objectives
  • Clarity: Clear and understandable language
  • Relevance: Relevance to the organization
  • Updates: Regular updates

Implementation

  • Communication: Effective communication
  • Training: Staff training
  • Tools: Support tools
  • Monitoring: Compliance monitoring

Maintenance

  • Review: Regular review
  • Updates: Updates based on changes
  • Retirement: Retirement of obsolete policies
  • Versioning: Version control

References