ISO 27001:2022 Requirements Explained for 2025

Read full article here: https://goteleport.com/blog/iso-iec-27001-2022-explained/source=nhimg

The ISO/IEC 27001:2022 standard sets out requirements for building and running an Information Security Management System (ISMS). By October 31, 2025, all organizations certified under the 2013 edition must transition or risk losing certification.

This deadline is especially critical for:

• Regulated industries (healthcare, finance, critical infrastructure)
• SaaS and cloud service providers with enterprise customers
• Global businesses handling sensitive or regulated data

What Changed from ISO 27001:2013 to 2022

• Core structure remains intact: Clauses 4–10 (Context, Leadership, Planning, Support, Operation, Evaluation, Improvement) are still the backbone.
• Annex A updated: Reduced to 93 controls (from 114) and grouped into 4 domains: People, Organizational, Technological, Physical.
• New & revised controls: Added focus on cloud services, threat intelligence, data leakage prevention, configuration management, and monitoring.
• Risk treatment modernization: Stronger emphasis on continuous improvement and mapping risks to control justification.

ISO 27001:2022 Certification Requirements (Clauses 4–10)

Each clause is auditable, meaning you’ll need evidence of implementation and effectiveness:

Clause 4: Context of the Organization

• Define ISMS scope, boundaries, and influencing factors (laws, contracts, frameworks).
• Document scope in your Statement of Applicability (SoA).
  Example: A SaaS company includes SOC 2, GDPR, and customer SLAs in its context analysis.

Clause 5: Leadership

• Demonstrate top management accountability.
• Publish an information security policy and assign roles/responsibilities.
  Example: CISO signs policy, CTO is ISMS owner, department leads own access reviews.

Clause 6: Planning

• Identify risks and opportunities with a formal assessment process.
• Develop a risk treatment plan with Annex A controls.
• Set measurable objectives.
  Example: “Reduce access revocation time to under 2 hours.”

Clause 7: Support

• Ensure resources, training, communication, and documentation.
• Maintain competence records, version-controlled documentation, and clear communication plans.
  Example: Security engineers complete secure coding and zero trust training.

Clause 8: Operation

• Execute and monitor risk treatment plans.
• Keep a risk register with assigned owners.
  Example: Track credential rotation logs for Annex A control A.5.17 (Authentication Information).

Clause 9: Performance Evaluation

• Conduct internal audits and management reviews.
• Provide documented evidence of performance monitoring.
  Example: Internal audits show metrics tied to objectives (e.g., patching SLA compliance).

Clause 10: Improvement

• Manage nonconformities and corrective actions.
• Continuous improvement cycle with root cause analysis.
  Example: If terminated accounts retain access, update provisioning workflows and prove closure in next audit.

Annex A: 93 Controls (with Key 2022 Additions)

• A.5.7 Threat Intelligence – collect and use threat intelligence.
• A.5.23 Cloud Services Security – govern secure use of AWS, GCP, Azure, SaaS.
• A.5.30 ICT Readiness for Business Continuity – ensure secure access during outages.
• A.8.9 Configuration Management – monitor Terraform, Kubernetes, CI/CD pipelines.
• A.8.12 Data Leakage Prevention – enforce access limits, short-lived credentials.
• A.8.16 Monitoring Activities – enable real-time session monitoring, audit logging.

Not all controls are mandatory, but organizations must justify every inclusion or exclusion in the Statement of Applicability (SoA).

Why ISO 27001:2022 Compliance Matters in 2025

• Mandatory migration by Oct 31, 2025 – certifications under 2013 edition will expire.
• Market expectation – customers, regulators, and partners look for certification as a baseline.
• Audit-ready posture – strong evidence trail reduces remediation and audit fatigue.
• Competitive edge – proves resilience, builds customer trust, accelerates deals.

How Teleport Helps Simplify ISO 27001 Compliance

Teleport’s Infrastructure Identity Platform supports ISO 27001:2022 alignment by:

• Eliminating static credentials and standing access.
• Enforcing short-lived, just-in-time certificates across cloud and on-prem.
• Providing real-time audit logs and session monitoring for Annex A evidence.
• Simplifying Annex A mapping for cloud, Kubernetes, CI/CD, and SaaS environments.

This reduces operational burden, automates compliance artifacts, and accelerates audits.