4. As part of the ICT risk management framework referred to in Article 6(1), financial entities shall:
(a) develop and document an information security policy defining rules to protect the availability, authenticity, integrity and confidentiality of data, information assets and ICT assets, including those of their customers, where applicable;
(b) following a risk-based approach, establish a sound network and infrastructure management structure using appropriate techniques, methods and protocols that may include implementing automated mechanisms to isolate affected information assets in the event of cyber-attacks;
(c) implement policies that limit the physical or logical access to information assets and ICT assets to what is required for legitimate and approved functions and activities only, and establish to that end a set of policies, procedures and controls that address access rights and ensure a sound administration thereof;
(d) implement policies and protocols for strong authentication mechanisms, based on relevant standards and dedicated control systems, and protection measures of cryptographic keys whereby data is encrypted based on results of approved data classification and ICT risk assessment processes;
(e) implement documented policies, procedures and controls for ICT change management, including changes to software, hardware, firmware components, systems or security parameters, that are based on a risk assessment approach and are an integral part of the financial entity’s overall change management process, in order to ensure that all changes to ICT systems are recorded, tested, assessed, approved, implemented and verified in a controlled manner;
(f) have appropriate and comprehensive documented policies for patches and updates. For the purposes of the first subparagraph, point (b), financial entities shall design the network connection infrastructure in a way that allows it to be instantaneously severed or segmented in order to minimise and prevent contagion, especially for interconnected financial processes.
For the purposes of the first subparagraph, point (e), the ICT change management process shall be approved by appropriate lines of management and shall have specific protocols in place.
Personnel must have security guidelines that deal with e.g. the following topics:
Secure areas of the organization cannot be accessed unnoticed. The premises are protected by appropriate access control. Only authorized persons have access to the secure areas.
Systems containing important information should be logged in using a multi-authentication logon, also known as either “two-factor”, “multi-factor” or “dual factor” authentication.
For example, when first logging in with a password, a one-time authentication code can also be sent to the user as a text message. In this case, he has been identified by two factors (knowing the password and owning the phone).
Biometric identifiers (eg fingerprint) and other devices can also be used for two-stage authentication. However, it is worth considering the costs and implications for privacy.
The organization has an information security policy developed and approved by top management. The policy shall include at least the following:
In addition, the task owner shall ensure that:
Access to buildings containing critical systems must be constantly monitored to detect unauthorized access or suspicious activity. The following issues should be taken into account in monitoring practices:
Information related to surveillance systems should be kept confidential, as disclosure of information can facilitate undetected breaches. The monitoring systems themselves must also be properly protected, so that the recordings or system status cannot be affected without permission.
The organisation has to make sure that all licensed software are updated with in 14 days of the update coming live when:
The organization implements role-based access control with predefined access roles for the various protected assets that entitle access to the associated asset. Strictness of the access roles should reflect the security risks associated with the asset.
The following should be considered to support access management:
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) helps protect devices and data. To apply it, users must have more information in the identity management system than just an email address - for example, a phone number or an attached authenticator application (e.g. Microsoft, Google, or LastPass Authenticator).
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is required for administrators in the organization's key data systems.
For example, when first logging in with a password, a one-time identification code can also be sent to the user as a text message. In this case, he has been identified by two factors (knowing the password and ownership of the phone).
Biometric identifiers (e.g. fingerprints) and other devices can also be used for multi-stage authentication. However, it is worth considering the costs and implications for privacy.
To ensure the reliability of the systems, the following measures should be taken:
Maintenance, updating and possible renewal of information systems, devices and networks should be planned with the necessary component and software updates to be implemented before possible failures. When examining the criticality of components, the perspective of customer and patient safety should be taken into account.
Software updates should have a management process in place to ensure that the latest approved patches and application updates are installed on all approved software. Earlier versions of software should be retained as a precaution.
In Cyberday, all frameworks’ requirements are mapped into universal tasks, so you achieve multi-framework compliance effortlessly.
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