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TDA-20.3: Software Escrow

TDA 7 — High Protect

Mechanisms exist to escrow source code and supporting documentation to ensure software availability in the event the software provider goes out of business or is unable to provide support.

Control Question: Does the organization escrow source code and supporting documentation to ensure software availability in the event the software provider goes out of business or is unable to provide support?

General (3)
Framework Mapping Values
MPA Content Security Program 5.1 TS-1.14
NIST 800-218 PS.3.1
SCF CORE Mergers, Acquisitions & Divestitures (MA&D) TDA-20.3
US (2)
Framework Mapping Values
US DHS CISA SSDAF 3
US EO 14028 4e(vi)
EMEA (1)
Framework Mapping Values
EMEA Saudi Arabia CSCC-1 2019 1-3-2-2
APAC (1)
Framework Mapping Values
APAC Singapore MAS TRM 2021 5.3.4

Capability Maturity Model

Level 0 — Not Performed

There is no evidence of a capability to escrow source code and supporting documentation to ensure software availability in the event the software provider goes out of business or is unable to provide support.

Level 1 — Performed Informally

C|P-CMM1 is N/A, since a structured process is required to escrow source code and supporting documentation to ensure software availability in the event the software provider goes out of business or is unable to provide support.

Level 2 — Planned & Tracked

C|P-CMM2 is N/A, since a well-defined process is required to escrow source code and supporting documentation to ensure software availability in the event the software provider goes out of business or is unable to provide support.

Level 3 — Well Defined

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 Software 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 software being deployed with weak security settings, putting the asset at a greater risk of compromise.
  • An IT Asset Management (ITAM) function, or similar function, categorizes devices according to the data the asset stores, transmits and/ or processes and applies the appropriate technology controls to protect the asset 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.
  • The process owner contracts a reputable third-party escrow agent to provide source code and supporting documentation to ensure software availability in the event the software provider goes out of business or is unable to provide support.
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 escrow source code and supporting documentation to ensure software availability in the event the software provider goes out of business or is unable to provide support.

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 escrow source code and supporting documentation to ensure software availability in the event the software provider goes out of business or is unable to provide support.

Assessment Objectives

  1. TDA-20.3_A01 source code and supporting documentation are escrowed to ensure software availability in the event the software provider goes out of business or is unable to provide support.

Evidence Requirements

E-TDA-13 Software Escrow

Documented evidence of a software escrow solution.

Technology Design & Acquisition

Technology Recommendations

Micro/Small

  • Source code escrow

Small

  • Source code escrow

Medium

  • Source code escrow

Large

  • Source code escrow

Enterprise

  • Source code escrow

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