Topic

System administration processes and procedures

Applicable to

all

History

Priority

should

Dec 2022

System administration processes, and supporting system administration procedures, are developed, implemented and maintained.

Existing controls relating to the development and implementation of cyber security documentation were amended to ensure documentation is maintained throughout its lifetime.

Dec 2021

System administration processes, and supporting system administration procedures, are developed and implemented.

Miscellaneous changes were made to rationale and security controls throughout the publication. This included:

• A review from the Using the Information Security Manual chapter through to the Guidelines for Media chapter.

• Security controls suitable for all audiences have been identified with the ‘All’ applicability marking while additional security controls suitable for just government audiences have been identified with the O, P, S and TS applicability markings.

• Security controls suitable for specific classifications have been amended to include their classification(s) in the wording of the security controls to reduce the reliance on applicability markings to confer suitability.

• Tables in security controls have been converted into prose to allow for inclusion in the SSP annex template and the XML list of security controls.

• The use of ‘official’ and ‘highly classified’ terminology has been replaced with specific classifications to remove ambiguity.

• Security controls relating to high assurance ICT equipment have had their applicability narrowed to ‘S, TS’ reflecting that they are intended for the protection of SECRET and TOP SECRET systems and data.

Aug 2019

A system administration process, with supporting system administration procedures, is developed and implemented.

Security control 0042 was modified to remove content that is covered by other security controls. For example, the management of assets by the new ICT equipment management policy (see security control 1551).

Jul 2019

Systems have SOPs that cover the following: § system administration and maintenance activities, such as managing backups and user accounts § software and hardware configuration changes, such as patches, updates and upgrades § the acquisition, support and disposal of assets § the labelling, registering and mustering of assets.

2015

Agencies should ensure that SOPs are developed for systems.

2010

Agencies should ensure that SOPs are developed for systems.

2008

Agencies should ensure that, where necessary, SOPs are developed for systems.