ISO 27001 Annex A 5.17: Authentication information

What auditors look for

Auditors check that 5.17 is either justified as not applicable in your Statement of Applicability or implemented and working. Typical evidence includes:

• Password and MFA standard
• Password manager deployment
• Secure process for issuing first credentials

How to implement 5.17 in practice

1. Follow NIST SP 800-63B password guidance
2. Provide a company password manager
3. Never send credentials and usernames together
4. Name an owner for 5.17, decide how often it runs and file evidence each time, so the control is audit-ready all year.

Recording 5.17 in the Statement of Applicability

List 5.17 with whether it applies, the reason (usually the risks it treats or a legal or contractual requirement), its implementation status and where the evidence lives. If you exclude it, explain why none of your risks or obligations require it.

Free resources

• ISO 27001 and GDPR readiness assessment
• 10 steps to implement ISO 27001
• Remote ISO 27001 consultant

More organizational controls

• 5.13 Labelling of information
• 5.14 Information transfer
• 5.15 Access control
• 5.16 Identity management
• 5.18 Access rights
• 5.19 Information security in supplier relationships
• 5.20 Addressing information security within supplier agreements
• 5.21 Managing information security in the ICT supply chain