A Framework for Assessing 20 Critical Controls Using ISO 15504 and COBIT 5 Process Assessment Model (PAM)

The 20 critical controls, maintained by the Council on CyberSecurity, present a prioritized road map for organizations to enhance their information security posture. However, an initial review that serves as a 'baseline' must first be performed to know the current information security posture and to ascertain the effort required to implement the critical controls. Furthermore, assessments or audits should be performed periodically to gauge the continual improvement in information security as well as to what extent the critical controls have been implemented. This paper presents a unified and repeatable framework that could be used for the initial gap analysis as well as to measure the continual enhancements in implementation of the critical controls. The concepts presented in this paper draw heavily from the contents contained in 'ISO/IEC 15504 Information technology - Process assessment' standard and COBIT5 Process Assessment Model (PAM). The information presented in ISO 15504 and COBIT 5 PAM is adapted for the assessment of critical controls. A unified approach in assessing the implementation status of each critical control as well as the sub-controls is presented based on an incremental measuring scale. The other peripheral elements of the assessment such as the details of assessment process (planning, initiation, fieldwork reporting), assessor qualifications, and competency are also detailed out resulting in a comprehensive framework for assessing the 20 critical controls.