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CHG-07: Emergency Changes

CHG 9 — Critical Protect

Mechanisms exist to govern change management procedures for "emergency" changes.

Control Question: Does the organization govern change management procedures for "emergency" changes?

General (1)
Framework Mapping Values
SCF CORE Mergers, Acquisitions & Divestitures (MA&D) CHG-07
EMEA (1)
Framework Mapping Values
EMEA EU NIS2 Annex 6.4.3

Capability Maturity Model

Level 0 — Not Performed

There is no evidence of a capability to govern change management procedures for "emergency" changes.

Level 1 — Performed Informally

C|P-CMM1 is N/A, since a structured process is required to govern change management procedures for "emergency" changes.

Level 2 — Planned & Tracked

Change Management (CHG) efforts are requirements-driven and governed at a local/regional level, but are not consistent across the organization. CMM Level 2 control maturity would reasonably expect all, or at least most, the following criteria to exist:

  • Change management is decentralized (e.g., a localized/regionalized function) and uses non-standardized methods to implement secure, resilient and compliant practices.
  • IT/cybersecurity personnel identify cybersecurity and data protection controls that are appropriate to address applicable statutory, regulatory and contractual requirements for change management.
  • Changes are tracked through a centralized technology solution to submit, review, approve and assign Requests for Change (RFC).
  • A Change Advisory Board (CAB), or similar function, exists to govern changes to systems, applications and services to ensure their stability, reliability and predictability.
  • A CAB, or similar function, reviews RFCs for cybersecurity and data privacy ramifications.
  • A CAB, or similar function, notifies stakeholders to ensure awareness of the impact of proposed changes.
  • Logical Access Control (LAC) limits the ability of non-administrators from making unauthorized configuration changes to systems, applications and services.
  • Cybersecurity controls are tested after a change is implemented to ensure cybersecurity controls are operating properly.
Level 3 — Well Defined

Change Management (CHG) efforts are standardized across the organization and centrally managed, where technically feasible, to ensure consistency. CMM Level 3 control maturity would reasonably expect all, or at least most, the following criteria to exist: o Exists to govern changes to systems, applications and services to ensure their stability, reliability and predictability. o Reviews RFC for cybersecurity and data privacy ramifications. o Notifies stakeholders to ensure awareness of the impact of proposed changes.

  • An IT Asset Management (ITAM) function, or similar function, ensures compliance with requirements for asset management.
  • ITAM leverages a Configuration Management Database (CMDB), or similar tool, as the authoritative source of IT assets.
  • Logical Access Control (LAC) is governed to limit the ability of non-administrators from making configuration changes to systems, applications and services.
  • A formal Change Management (CM) program ensures that no unauthorized changes are made, that all changes are documented, that services are not disrupted and that resources are used efficiently.
  • The CM function has formally defined roles and associated responsibilities.
  • Changes are tracked through a centralized technology solution to submit, review, approve and assign Requests for Change (RFC).
  • A Change Advisory Board (CAB), or similar function:
  • IT personnel use dedicated development/test/staging environments to deploy and evaluate changes, wherever technically possible.
  • Up on implementing the RFC, the technician implementing a change tests to ensure anti-malware, logging and other cybersecurity and data protection controls are still implemented and operating properly.
  • A structured set of controls are tested after a change is implemented to ensure cybersecurity controls are operating properly.
  • Results from testing changes are documented.
  • A vulnerability assessment is conducted on systems/applications/services to detect any new vulnerabilities that a change may have introduced.
Level 4 — Quantitatively Controlled

See C|P-CMM3. There are no defined C|P-CMM4 criteria, since it is reasonable to assume a quantitatively-controlled process is not necessary to govern change management procedures for "emergency" changes.

Level 5 — Continuously Improving

See C|P-CMM4. There are no defined C|P-CMM5 criteria, since it is reasonable to assume a continuously-improving process is not necessary to govern change management procedures for "emergency" changes.

Assessment Objectives

  1. CHG-07_A01 criteria to "emergency" changes are defined.
  2. CHG-07_A02 change management procedures govern "emergency" changes.

Technology Recommendations

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