TDA-09.6: Secure Settings By Default

There is no evidence of a capability to implement secure configuration settings by default to reduce the likelihood of Technology Assets, Applications and/or Services (TAAS) being deployed with weak security settings that would put the TAAS at a greater risk of compromise.

C|P-CMM1 is N/A, since a structured process is required to implement secure configuration settings by default to reduce the likelihood of Technology Assets, Applications and/or Services (TAAS) being deployed with weak security settings that would put the TAAS at a greater risk of compromise.

C|P-CMM2 is N/A, since a well-defined process is required to implement secure configuration settings by default to reduce the likelihood of Technology Assets, Applications and/or Services (TAAS) being deployed with weak security settings that would put the TAAS at a greater risk of compromise.

Technology Development & Acquisition (TDA) 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 Provides governance oversight for the implementation of applicable statutory, regulatory and contractual cybersecurity and data protection controls to protect the confidentiality, integrity, availability and safety of the organization's applications, systems, services and data for technology development and acquisition. o Ensures the Information Assurance Program (IAP) evaluates applicable cybersecurity and data protection controls as part of “business as usual” pre-production testing. o Operates the Cybersecurity Supply Chain Risk Management (C-SCRM) program to identify and mitigate supply chain-related risks and threats.

• Secure development practices conform to industry-recognized standards for secure engineering (e.g., OWASP, NIST SP 800-218, NIST SP 800-160, etc.).
• A procurement team, or similar function, ensures that third party development and/ or acquisitions meet, or exceed, the organization's business, cybersecurity and data privacy requirements to have secure and resilient systems, applications, services and processes.
• A Technology Assets, Applications and/or Services (TAAS) Assurance Maturity Model (SAMM) governs a secure development lifecycle for the development of systems, applications and services.
• Administrative processes exist and technologies are configured to implement secure configuration settings by default to reduce the likelihood of Technology Assets, Applications and/or Services (TAAS) being deployed with weak security settings, putting the TAAS at a greater risk of compromise.
• An IT Asset Management (ITAM) function, or similar function, categorizes devices according to the data the TAAS stores, transmits and/ or processes and applies the appropriate technology controls to protect the TAAS and data.
• A formal Change Management (CM) program help to ensure that no unauthorized changes are made, all changes are documented, services are not disrupted and resources are used efficiently.
• A Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) function, or similar function;
• A Project Management Office (PMO), or project management function, enables IAP pre-production testing of cybersecurity and data protection controls as part of the organization's established project management processes.

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 implement secure configuration settings by default to reduce the likelihood of Technology Assets, Applications and/or Services (TAAS) being deployed with weak security settings that would put the TAAS at a greater risk of compromise.

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 implement secure configuration settings by default to reduce the likelihood of Technology Assets, Applications and/or Services (TAAS) being deployed with weak security settings that would put the TAAS at a greater risk of compromise.