Your 10-Point Checklist for Mastering ISO 27001 Annex A 5.10: Acceptable Use

Information security standards often feel heavy and abstract. However, ISO 27001 Annex A 5.10 Acceptable use of information and other associated assets, is where theory meets real life. This control manages the most critical part of your security programme: your people.

This guide moves away from confusing jargon. Instead, we provide a practical ISO 27001 Annex A 5.10 implementation checklist. It will help you build a secure and accountable environment. Tools like the ISO 27001 toolkit can also streamline this process, helping you manage policies and evidence without the headache.

Our mission is to break this control down into simple steps. We will clarify what an auditor wants to see and show you how to protect your company’s best assets. By mastering this, you do more than just tick a box. You build a strong culture of security.

Why A.5.10 is the Foundation of Accountability

Annex A.5.10 turns information security from a concept into a daily habit for every user. It is the foundation of user accountability.

The standard is clear: rules for acceptable use must be “identified, documented and implemented.” It is not enough to just have rules. You must prove they are working. At its core, A.5.10 is about prevention. It ensures “informed consent” for staff, contractors, and third parties. You cannot blame someone for breaking a rule if they didn’t know it existed. This control removes “plausible deniability.” It makes every user aware of the boundaries and responsible for their actions.

Also, the 2022 standard merged ‘use’ and ‘handling’. This signals that auditors now expect a seamless thread of accountability. They want to see control from the moment an asset is created until it is destroyed.

The Ultimate 10-Point ISO 27001 Annex A 5.10 Implementation Checklist

This is not just theory; it is a build plan. Follow these 10 steps to create a framework that is compliant and defensible.

Step 1: Draft Your Cornerstone – The Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)

First, you need a topic-specific Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). This is the main evidence an auditor will check. To be compliant, your AUP must be clear and cover three key areas:

• Expected Behaviour: Define what users should do. This covers basics like using work email for business only.
• Unacceptable Behaviour: Be clear about what is banned. List prohibited acts like installing pirated software, crypto mining, or visiting illegal websites.
• Monitoring Transparency: State clearly that you monitor network traffic and access logs. This removes the expectation of privacy on work systems and builds trust through honesty.

Step 2: Map the Entire Asset Lifecycle

Your AUP defines the rules, but your procedures must show how they are followed. An auditor will check the whole lifecycle of an asset.

• Creation and Storage: Define your data classes (e.g., Public, Confidential). State where each class can be saved. For instance, confidential data must not go on personal cloud drives.
• Transfer and Access: Link access rights to data classes. forbidding insecure channels like personal WhatsApp for work. Encrypt sensitive data when emailing it.
• Disposal: Define how to destroy data based on its class (e.g., shredding paper, wiping digital media). You need proof of destruction for confidential info.

Step 3: Tame the Cloud and Confront Shadow IT

Your rules must apply to assets you own and assets you use, like cloud services. If a service is not in your inventory, it hasn’t been risk-assessed. If it’s not assessed, you aren’t in control.

• Identify and Assess: Put all cloud resources in your asset inventory. Assess the risks of using them.
• Enforce Rules: Make sure your cloud providers follow your rules through contracts. If you can’t store data abroad, your contract must say so.

This stops “Shadow IT”, when staff use unapproved tools. Using these tools often breaks handling rules and proves a lack of control.

Step 4: Communicate and Train Your Team

A policy is useless if nobody reads it. You must have a plan to tell everyone about the rules. Ongoing training ensures staff and contractors know their duties. This fosters a true culture of security.

Step 5: Secure Provable Buy-In

This is where many fail. An auditor won’t accept “we sent an email” as proof. You need active acceptance. This is where a platform like Hightable.io shines, as it can help track policy acknowledgement easily.

Acceptable proof includes:

• A system log showing a user clicked “I Accept.”
• A certificate from a training module.
• A digitally signed document.

You must track this for every user and update it when the policy changes. An auditor might ask for proof for a random employee. If you can’t show it, you fail.

Step 6: Prepare Your Audit Evidence

Passing an audit requires evidence. For this ISO 27001 Annex A 5.10 implementation checklist, you need three things:

• The AUP itself, with proper version control and recent review.
• Documented procedures for the full asset lifecycle.
• Verifiable acceptance records for all users.

Step 7: Connect the Dots to Your Wider ISMS

Annex A.5.10 works with other controls. Auditors expect to see links to:

• Inventory (A.5.9): You can’t regulate assets you don’t know about.
• Classification (A.5.12): Handling rules must match the data type. Confidential data needs stricter rules than public data.
• Transfer (A.5.14) & Access (A.5.15): Your AUP sets the rules; these controls provide the logs and procedures to enforce them.

Step 8: Involve Key Stakeholders

Don’t write the AUP alone. Involve HR, Legal, and IT. If you ignore them, your policy might be impractical or illegal. This leads to staff ignoring the rules, which ruins your efforts.

Step 9: Address the Non-Obvious

Don’t forget modern work habits. Your AUP must cover:

• Social media use.
• Remote working guidelines.
• Physical assets like paper and printers.

Step 10: Establish a Cycle of Review

Compliance is ongoing. Set a time to review and update your AUP. This keeps it relevant as tech changes. It shows the auditor your security system is alive and active.

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How to Fail Your Audit: Top 3 Mistakes to Avoid

Most failures aren’t technical; they are procedural. Avoid these traps:

1. Relying on Passive Acceptance: Putting a PDF on the intranet is not enough. You need proof that they read and accepted it.
2. Forgetting the Full Lifecycle: Many focus on access but forget disposal. You must document how you destroy old hard drives and shred backup tapes.
3. Sloppy Document Control: Mismatched version numbers or missing review dates are red flags. They suggest a sloppy system.

Conclusion: Building Your Human Firewall

Annex A.5.10 is more than a document. It manages the human side of security. It sets boundaries and holds users accountable. A well-executed ISO 27001 Annex A 5.10 implementation checklist turns your team from a risk into a defence.

To make this process smoother, consider using the Hightable.io ISO 27001 toolkit. It helps you organise your policies, track user acceptance, and keep your evidence audit-ready. This gives you a defensible position against threats and auditors alike.

About the author

Stuart Barker is a veteran practitioner with over 30 years of experience in systems security and risk management.

Holding an MSc in Software and Systems Security, Stuart combines academic rigor with extensive operational experience. His background includes over a decade leading Data Governance for General Electric (GE) across Europe, as well as founding and exiting a successful cyber security consultancy.

As a qualified ISO 27001 Lead Auditor and Lead Implementer, Stuart possesses distinct insight into the specific evidence standards required by certification bodies. He has successfully guided hundreds of organizations – from high-growth technology startups to enterprise financial institutions – through the audit lifecycle.

His toolkits represents the distillation of that field experience into a standardised framework. They move beyond theoretical compliance, providing a pragmatic, auditor-verified methodology designed to satisfy ISO/IEC 27001:2022 while minimising operational friction.