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TDA-15.2: Secure Migration Practices

TDA 8 — High Protect

Mechanisms exist to ensure secure migration practices purge Technology Assets, Applications and/or Services (TAAS) of test/development/staging data and accounts before it is migrated into a production environment.

Renumbered: Formerly TDA-08.1 in SCF 2025.4.

Control Question: Does the organization ensure secure migration practices purge Technology Assets, Applications and/or Services (TAAS) of test/development/staging data and accounts before it is migrated into a production environment?

General (6)
Framework Mapping Values
COBIT 2019 BAI07.06
CSA CCM 4.1.0 AIS-04 I&S-07
NIST 800-218 PO.5
PCI DSS 4.0.1 (source) 6.5.6
PCI DSS 4.0.1 SAQ D Merchant (source) 6.5.6
PCI DSS 4.0.1 SAQ D Service Provider (source) 6.5.6
US (3)
Framework Mapping Values
USA Federal DHS CISA SSDAF 1
USA Federal EO 14028 4e(i)
USA California CCPA 2025 7123(c)(14)
EMEA (2)
Framework Mapping Values
EMEA CHE FINMA Circular 2023/1 IV.D-76
EMEA Saudi Arabia CSCC-1 2019 1-3-2-4
APAC (2)
Framework Mapping Values
APAC Japan ISMAP 14.2.6.11
APAC Malaysia RMiT 2025 A10-B1(d)

Capability Maturity Model

Level 0 — Not Performed

Practices are non-existent, based on the inability to demonstrate an implemented and operational capability. A reasonable person would conclude the control is not being performed.

Level 1 — Performed Informally

Technology Development & Acquisition (TDA) domain capabilities are ad hoc and inconsistent. Capability criteria associated with this control may include: ▪ Policies, standards & procedures associated with TDA domain capabilities provide limited coverage due to the depth and breadth of the existing documentation. ▪ Technology development & acquisition-related activities are decentralized (e.g., a localized/regionalized function) and uses non-standardized methods to implement secure, resilient and compliant practices. ▪ Secure development practices loosely conform to industry-recognized standards for secure engineering (e.g., OWASP, NIST SP 800-218 and NIST SP 800-160).

Level 2 — Planned & Tracked

Technology Development & Acquisition (TDA) capabilities are requirements-driven, but are not standardized across the entity (e.g., local/regional level consistency). Capability criteria associated with this control reasonably expect the following criteria to exist: ▪ Policies and standards associated with TDA domain capabilities are formally documented and centrally-managed by the entity. ▪ Standardized Operating Procedures (SOP) associated with TDA domain capabilities are documented and maintained by process owners. ▪ IT and/or cybersecurity personnel work with business stakeholders and process owners to appropriately scope and reasonably implement cybersecurity and data protection controls associated with TDA domain capabilities to address applicable statutory, regulatory and/or contractual requirements for Technology Assets, Applications, Services and/or Data (TAASD). ▪ Technology development and acquisition-related controls are primarily administrative and preventative in nature (e.g., policies, standards and procedures & guidelines). ▪ Technology development and acquisition management may be a defined function (e.g., team or department) or assigned as an additional duty to existing IT and/or cybersecurity personnel. ▪ Secure development practices mostly conform to industry-recognized standards for secure engineering of Technology Assets, Applications and/or Services (TAAS) (e.g., OWASP, NIST SP 800-218 and NIST SP 800-160). ▪ An application development team, or similar function, uses a structured process to design, build and maintain secure configurations for test, development, staging and production environments.

Level 3 — Well Defined

Technology Development & Acquisition (TDA) capabilities are standardized across the entity for applicability to People, Processes, Technologies, Data and/or Facilities (PPTDF) to ensure consistency for Technology Assets, Applications, Services and/or Data (TAASD). Capability criteria associated with this control reasonably expect the following criteria to exist: ▪ Policies and standards associated with TDA domain capabilities are formally documented and centrally-managed by the entity's Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) team, or similar function. ▪ Standardized Operating Procedures (SOP) associated with TDA domain capabilities are well-documented and kept current by process owners. ▪ A software development team, or similar function, is appropriately staffed and supported to implement and maintain TDA domain capabilities. ▪ Technology is leveraged to enhance the efficiency and accuracy of technology development and acquisition management (e.g., project management software, software escrow solution and software testing tools). ▪ The entity's Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) team, or similar function, works with business stakeholders and process owners to appropriately scope and reasonably implement cybersecurity and data protection controls associated with TDA domain capabilities to address Minimum Compliance Requirements (MCR) (e.g., applicable statutory, regulatory and/or contractual requirements) and Discretionary Security Requirements (DSR) (e.g., entity-required controls). ▪ An implemented and operational capability exists to ensure secure migration practices purge Technology Assets, Applications and/or Services (TAAS) of test/development/staging data and accounts before it is migrated into a production environment.

Level 4 — Quantitatively Controlled

Utilize SCR-CMM Level 3 criteria definitions: ▪ There are no defined Level 4 criteria, since it is reasonable to assume a quantitatively-controlled process is not necessary to operationalize this control. ▪ While it may be possible to develop “metrics-driven” capabilities for this control, the criteria would be organization-specific to define.

Level 5 — Continuously Improving

Utilize SCR-CMM Level 3 or Level 4 (if available) criteria definitions: ▪ There are no defined Level 5 criteria, since it is reasonable to assume a continuously-improving process is not necessary to operationalize this control. ▪ Level 5 capabilities should be considered “world-class” where the control builds on Level 4 capabilities, but are continuously improving through Artificial Intelligence (AI) and/or Machine Learning (ML) technologies. ▪ While it may be possible to develop responsive capabilities for this control through the use of AI and/or ML technologies, the criteria would be organization-specific to define.

Assessment Objectives

  1. TDA-15.2_A01 secure migration practices purge systems, applications and services of test/development/staging data and accounts before it is migrated into a production environment.

Evidence Requirements

E-TDA-20 Development / Test / Production Environment Separation

Documented evidence of secure development environments and separation of development, test and production environments, including secure migration practices.

Technology Design & Acquisition

Technology Recommendations

Micro/Small

  • Remove test data and accounts before going live

Small

  • Go-live checklist: remove test accounts, data, debug settings

Medium

  • Secure migration procedure purging test/dev data, accounts and debug configurations
  • Pre-production validation

Large

  • Automated pre-production validation for residual test artifacts
  • Migration standards in release management

Enterprise

  • Enterprise secure migration standards with automated verification of test artifact removal
  • Release gate enforcement

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