CPL-03.1: Independent Assessors

There is no evidence of a capability to utilize independent assessors to evaluate cybersecurity and data protection controls at planned intervals or when the Technology Asset, Application and/or Service (TAAS) undergoes significant changes.

Compliance (CPL) efforts are ad hoc and inconsistent. CMM Level 1 control maturity would reasonably expect all, or at least most, the following criteria to exist:

• IT personnel use an informal process to govern statutory, regulatory and contractual compliance obligations.
• IT personnel self-identify a set of controls that are used to conduct cybersecurity and data privacy control assessments.
• IT personnel perform internal assessments of cybersecurity and data protection controls to determine compliance status.
• F or specific statutory, regulatory and/ or contractual obligations, stakeholders may contract with a third-party auditor/assessor to perform an independent assessment of cybersecurity and data protection controls.

Compliance (CPL) 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:

• Compliance activities are 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 compliance activities.
• Cybersecurity personnel use a defined set of controls to conduct cybersecurity and data privacy control assessments, as defined by the applicable statutory, regulatory and contractual requirements.
• Cybersecurity personnel either use an impartial member of its team or a third-party assessor to perform an independent assessment of cybersecurity and data protection controls.

Compliance (CPL) 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 Ensures data/process owners understand their requirements to manage applicable cybersecurity and data protection controls through oversight and written guidance. o Provides applicable stakeholders with status reports on control execution to enable security controls oversight. o Works with data/process owners and asset custodians to document and validate the scope of cybersecurity and data protection controls to ensure statutory, regulatory and/ or contractual compliance obligations are met. o Conducts cybersecurity and data privacy control assessments, on a regular cadence that is defined by the applicable statutory, regulatory and contractual requirements.

• A Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) function, or similar function, provides governance oversight for the implementation of applicable statutory, regulatory and contractual cybersecurity and data protection controls to ensure compliance requirements are identified and documented.
• The GRC function, or similar function:
• Cybersecurity and data privacy controls are centrally managed through a technology solution (e.g., GRC solution) to assign controls, track control activities and report on compliance efforts.
• Cybersecurity personnel either use an impartial member of its team or a third-party assessor to perform an independent assessment of cybersecurity and data protection controls.

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 utilize independent assessors to evaluate cybersecurity and data protection controls at planned intervals or when the Technology Asset, Application and/or Service (TAAS) undergoes significant changes.

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 utilize independent assessors to evaluate cybersecurity and data protection controls at planned intervals or when the Technology Asset, Application and/or Service (TAAS) undergoes significant changes.