All 93 controls · Technological controls
Control 8.19
Installation of software on operational systems
What ISO/IEC 27002:2022 control 8.19 asks for, in our own words, with the five published attribute values, the evidence an auditor asks for and the gaps commonly found. ISO/IEC 27028 is the guidance that explains how to use these values.
What the control asks
Procedures and measures are to be put in place so that installing software on operational systems is managed securely. Purpose: keep operational systems intact and prevent technical vulnerabilities being exploited. Guidance: consider having operational software updated only by trained administrators with management authorization; installing only approved executable code, never development code or compilers, on operational systems; installing or updating software only after extensive, successful testing (8.29, 8.31); updating all related program source libraries; controlling all operational software and system documentation through a configuration control system; deciding how to roll back before any change goes in; keeping an audit log of every update to operational software; and archiving previous versions together with everything needed to run them again, such as parameters, procedures, settings and supporting software, as a contingency and for as long as they are needed to read or process archived data. Decisions to move to a new release weigh the business need and the release's security, such as new security features or the number and severity of vulnerabilities in the current version, and patches are applied where they remove or reduce vulnerabilities (8.8). Software that depends on externally hosted modules or packages should be monitored and controlled against unauthorized changes that could introduce vulnerabilities. Vendor software should be kept at a supported level and open source software at the latest suitable release, with the risks of unsupported or no longer maintained software considered. Suppliers installing or updating software get physical or logical access only when necessary and authorized, and their activity is monitored (5.22). Strict rules define which software users may install, applying least privilege: identify permitted installations such as updates or security fixes for software already in use and prohibited ones such as software for personal use or of unknown or suspect origin, and grant installation rights by role.
Purpose in the standard’s terms, in our words: Ensures the integrity of operational systems and prevents exploitation of technical vulnerabilities.
Attribute values in one line: Preventive; Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability; Protect; Secure configuration, Application security; Protection.
The five attribute values
These are the published values for this control, from ISO/IEC 27002:2022 clause 4.2 and Annex A Table A.1. Where your own value differs, record the difference and the reason in the same row rather than replacing the published value.
| Control type | Preventive |
|---|---|
| Information security properties | ConfidentialityIntegrityAvailability |
| Cybersecurity concepts | Protect |
| Operational capabilities | Secure configurationApplication security |
| Security domains | Protection |
Evidence an auditor asks for
The attribute is a claim about how the control behaves. The evidence is what proves it operates. Keep both, and keep them together.
- Procedures for installing and updating operational software, including authorization, testing and rollback planning
- Change and deployment records showing management authorization, successful testing and the administrator who performed the installation
- Configuration control records for operational software and documentation, and an audit log of updates
- Evidence that development tools and compilers are absent from production systems
- A software support status register flagging unsupported vendor software and unmaintained open source components, with risk decisions
- Endpoint and server policies restricting user software installation by role, with permitted and prohibited categories
Where audits commonly find gaps
- Users can install any software on servers or workstations
- Production systems contain compilers and development code
- Unsupported software versions remain in production without a risk decision
- Externally hosted dependencies are pulled at build or run time without integrity controls
What ISO/IEC 27028 changes for this control
It carries a single control type, preventive, which sets what the evidence has to prove. It contributes no detect function, so a control set built from this row alone would not show detection. It crosses 2 operational capabilities, so two teams share the work and the owner column matters. Its earlier numbering (12.5.1, 12.6.2) is kept in the register so an older audit file can still be traced.
The guidance expands how the five values are used; it does not change the control or add a requirement. A register that carries the values and the evidence can answer the attribute question for this control without a new document. A register that does not can add the columns at the next SoA version, with an owner and a review date.
Controls that share its values
Source for this page
- ISO/IEC 27002:2022, the control catalogue and Table A.1. The reference record of the 93 controls, their five attribute values, purpose, evidence and gaps. The published standard is at https://www.iso.org/standard/75652.html.
- ISO/IEC 27028, official record. Stage 60.00 under publication, edition 1, committee, abstract and the dated lifecycle. Retrieved 20 October 2026.
Retrieved 2026-10-20. The requirement above is our statement of the clause in our own words; the official text is linked so you can check it.
The attribute kit, USD 799 one off. The 109-row register with all five values, the evidence list, a dated plan and the extension worksheet, as PDF, CSV and XLSX.